Optus to cut 400 staff

Optus is set to make around 400 roles redundant in a bid to “remove duplication” and reduce its operating costs.

The telco said in a statement that it is “making a number of changes across the organisation” and that “certain roles will be impacted either directly or indirectly because of these changes”.

“As we make these important strategic decisions, we will ensure we have the right skills and capabilities in place to build our digital organisation, remove duplication and establish a more sustainable cost base,” an Optus spokesperson said.

“Our policy is always to speak with employees who may be impacted by these changes first, including discussing redeployment opportunities.”

In its most recent financial results, Optus reported a range of price pressures it is under, including margin erosion in fixed-line caused by the expansion of the NBN, and slipping average revenue per user (ARPUs) from mobile postpaid users.

Mobile telcos are gearing up for a fresh round of attacks on their customer bases once TPG launches its own LTE network.

TPG has already indicated it will be much more aggressive than predicted in trying to grow its customer base, offering data-only trial plans for under $10 a month, with a six-month free trial period.

Optus went through two rounds of redundancies during 2017, and has regularly been forced to act on its staff numbers.