Telstra blames attempted copper theft for Stockton fibre outage

Telstra says someone tried to steal copper cable and in the process harmed fibre running alongside it, interrupting some of its services around Stockton, newy.com.au reported. The fault started at about 10:15am on Thursday 12 November. Reports put the affected area between northern Stockton and a point roughly one kilometre south of McDonald's Williamtown, taking in Fern Bay and Fullerton Cove.

Early information passed to newy.com.au points to fibre damage inside Stockton Bridge, where there may be "no slack left" to re-splice the cable. If that is the case, a replacement cable might need to be pulled through the bridge structure. Hundreds of older Fern Bay residents are understood to have lost fixed line internet in estates served by Telstra fibre. Reports reaching the outlet say residents cannot call relatives and that some 4G emergency pendants worn by older people have stopped connecting.

Telstra's statement did not include a restoration time. A spokesperson said specialist crews had been engaged and were working to repair the damage "as quickly and safely as possible". The spokesperson said such repairs could be complex and that Telstra would provide updates as the work progressed.

A telecommunications specialist who did not want to be named told newy.com.au that local internet providers' customers on Telstra fibre, some of them businesses, had lost connectivity too. According to that person, the damaged cable passes through the middle of the bridge structure, so replacing it would mean confined space work. The specialist said lane and bridge closures might be required with Transport for NSW approval, and put the repair time at 3 days or more. The outlet was also told Telstra would return on Friday morning and enter the structure with breathing apparatus to assess the damage.

Local providers with their own networks outside the NBN are understood to have put in temporary point to point wireless backhaul links to Mt Sugarloaf to bypass the damage. NBN infrastructure in the area is understood to be unaffected because NBN had earlier established a backup fibre path via Williamtown.

Households whose NBN service still works may be able to make calls using Wi-Fi calling if their mobile has no signal. A handset showing "SOS Only" may still reach 000 through another mobile network, although some medical alarms and personal safety devices may not support that fallback. Telstra advises people with offline pendants to dial 000 from a mobile phone.