Tens of thousands of Australians are likely to have been hit by a nationwide Telstra outage this morning that has affected calls to Triple Zero.

The network went dark about 2am (WA time) across the country, with more than 7000 customers affected and no estimate of when the service will be restored. The outage is also affecting the Aldi Mobile, Belong and Boost brands.

Just before 8am, the telco provided an update on the situation.

“We’ve made good progress restoring services, with around 90 per cent of calls and data now flowing successfully across the network. Our teams are working as quickly as possible to restore remaining services and get all customers back online.,” a spokesperson said.

“We know how much our customers rely on our network and understand just how much of a disruption this is to your day. For that we’re so sorry. We’ll share further updates until all is resolved.”

Addressing media, Telstra Chief Financial Officer Michael Ackland said an issue with the timing of network nodes were to blame, but the root cause had not been determined.

“We have nothing to indicate malicious activity. We’ve been in contact with all regulators and government agencies to that effect. We continue to investigate, we continue to remain curious and explore every avenue,” he said.

Communications Minister Anika Wells confirmed that the Australian Communications and Media Authority was on standby and ready to launch an investigation once services are restored.

“Telstra will need to account for how and why this outage occurred,” Ms Wells said.

“All telcos, including Telstra, have strict requirements in relation to welfare checks for disconnected Triple Zero calls, and the Triple Zero Custodian is in regular communication with Telstra to receive updates on the progress and outcomes of these checks.

“The key priorities for today are to get people back online and ensure any welfare checks are completed urgently.”

The issue was causing intermittent outages with data and voice services.

Mr Ackland said Telstra had been conducting its own welfare checks prior to services coming back online.

Tens of thousands of customers could be affected, but he said “it’s more likely in the thousands”.

Those with access to WiFi are encouraged to use that, and people with trouble making calls are encouraged to keep trying.

WA Police early on Wednesday issued advice for people relying on the telco to phone in an emergency.

“A Telstra outage is currently affecting customers nationwide, impacting their ability to make phone calls, including calls to Triple Zero from Telstra services,” a statement read.

“If you have a vulnerable family member, friend, neighbour or co-worker, consider offering support during the service disruption.

“If you are affected and do not have access to an alternative mobile or landline service, police recommend making arrangements with a neighbour, family member, or friend so you can access a working telephone in an emergency.”

Police communication systems are not affected and users are urged to check the Telstra website for updates.

St John Ambulance is working with relevant stakeholders towards a resolution, a spokesperson said.

The minister for emergency management Kristy McBain said the Government has been advised of the outage.

“We understand Telstra is working on resolving the issue, and arrangements are being made for affected rail passengers,” she said in a statement.

“Like all telcos, Telstra must notify customers and emergency services of any major outage. Australian phones are also required to fall back to other networks for 000 access.”

Website Downdetector indicated that 7649 users were having issues.

Initial reports were made about 2am with mobile and internet services worst hit.

Some users say their broadband internet has been hit too.

Issues across Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and locations in Victoria have been reported.

Someone on Downdetector said they were not able to contact triple zero.

A Telstra spokesperson could not confirm when services will be restored.

“We’re looking into an issue affecting some mobile calls and data connections,” they said.

“If you’re having trouble connecting, try again as it may work on a retry.

“We’re on it and will share an update as soon as it’s fixed.

“Thanks for sticking with us.”

What services are affected by Tesltra outage?

Financial and retail payments across EFTPOS and ATM networks rely on the Telstra 4G network and they process millions of transactions daily. Many remote ATMs rely on Telstra’s private data networks.

Essential utilities rely on the Telstra network to monitor power grids, water pressure and weather reporting in remote areas.

Remote telehealth consultations medical alert pendants, and networked hospital devices depend heavily on the continuous availability of Telstra’s mobile and fixed broadband services.

More to come.