Singtel confirms talks with multiple parties over potential Optus stake sale

Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel) confirmed on Thursday that it was in discussions with multiple parties over a potential stake sale ‌in its ⁠Australian telecoms ⁠unit Optus, but said there was no certainty the talks would result in a deal.

Optus, Australia’s second-largest telecommunications provider, has been owned by Singtel since 2001.

Optus has faced heightened scrutiny ⁠since two ‌outages involving Australia’s emergency call service that affected thousands of users ⁠and were linked to four deaths. The incidents led to the departure of two senior executives, including the company’s finance chief.