Optus
Optus Pty Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that provides mobile, fixed-line broadband, pay television, and satellite services to residential, business, and government customers. Wholly owned by Singapore-based Singtel since its acquisition in 2001 for A$14 billion, Optus operates as the second-largest wireless carrier in Australia behind Telstra, serving over 10 million customers with a retail mobile market share of 28% as of June 2024.[1][2][3] Established in 1991 as a private competitor to the government-owned Telecom Australia, Optus has invested heavily in national infrastructure, including 5G mobile networks and satellite communications, positioning itself as a key player in integrated telecom and IT services across the Asia-Pacific region.[4][5] In recent years, it reported strong mobile revenue growth, with a 4.7% increase in service revenue for the first half of 2024 driven by postpaid plan adjustments and customer base expansion of 238,000 in FY2025.[6][7] Optus's operations have been defined by both technological advancements and notable setbacks, particularly a September 2022 data breach stemming from an exposed application programming interface (API) lacking proper authentication, which allowed unauthorized access to personal data—including names, dates of birth, and identification numbers—of up to 10 million current and former customers. This incident prompted regulatory investigations, civil penalties from the Australian Information Commissioner, and widespread criticism of the company's cybersecurity practices, highlighting vulnerabilities in large-scale telecom data handling.[8][9][10]