Nation's largest network is down and everyone's making a Trump joke

Round of applause for Twitter users, everybody.
 By 
Ariel Bogle
 on 
Nation's largest network is down and everyone's making a Trump joke
Credit: Rick Rycroft/AP/REX/Shutterstock/@JohnJohnsonson

Telstra probably hoped the hashtag #TelstraOutage would be left behind in 2016. Sorry honey, no such luck.

On Thursday afternoon, Australia's largest phone network went down for some 3G and 4G users following a fire at a Chatswood exchange, which impacted mobile and fixed services.

While the outage was genuinely disruptive, many could not resist making the joke of the day. And what a joke it was.

On Twitter, the company said that due to the incident some SMS messages were "incorrectly delivered," adding that it would hold all messages until the issue was resolved.

In any case, the jig was up, with a few people getting misdirected demands for treats. Also, instructions from a complete random to stop being "rood" and take a pie out of the freezer.

And what of the joke?

A Washington Post report just that morning had detailed how U.S. President Donald Trump absolutely rinsed Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in one of their first official phone calls, including the delectable morsel that Trump "abruptly" cut the chat short after only 25 minutes.

After hearing that Trump called the congratulatory chat between leaders the "worst phone call by far," the tweets just seemed to write themselves.

Good work, everybody. Obviously this schmozzle hasn't affected Twitter's spirits. If anything, it's enlivened them.

Telstra later apologised and said it was investigating the cause of the fire. No one was hurt.

"A related issue which resulted in SMS messages being incorrectly delivered has been resolved," a spokesperson told Mashable. "All services, including SMS, have been restored and will return progressively."

Topics Donald Trump

Mashable Image
Ariel Bogle

Ariel Bogle was an associate editor with Mashable in Australia covering technology. Previously, Ariel was associate editor at Future Tense in Washington DC, an editorial initiative between Slate and New America.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
California just launched the country's largest public broadband network
Newsom stands behind a teen on a computer. A group of people cheer and clap behind them.

MWC 2026: What to expect at the world's largest phone show
Mobile World Congress



Verizon says network back up after massive outage
A Verizon sign on a building.

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

NYT Strands hints, answers for April 4, 2026
A game being played on a smartphone.

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!