[AusNOG] EFPOST terminals down

[Jason Xiros]

I'm not sure the EFTPOS network is as robust as people believe. There was a time perhaps seven or eight years ago when 50% (or more) of all transactions in Australia went through a single data centre on the Pacific Hwy in North Sydney.


Kind regards,

Jason



> 
> Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2020 09:06:36 +0930
> From: John Edwards <jaedwards at gmail.com>
> To: Chris Hurley <chris at dragonrail.com.au>
> Cc: "<ausnog at lists.ausnog.net>" <ausnog at lists.ausnog.net>
> Subject: Re: [AusNOG] EFPOST terminals down
> Message-ID:
> 	<CAOSsYkr=19BQ+qNjSaDuVUVDuctOyd0qg3z5PLhvdHdCLvOy0A at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
> 
> Tips are low priority areas for mobile coverage. They are deliberately
> built where no-one else is, such that they would account for the majority
> of an expensive mobile sector.
> 
> I imagine that most EFTPOS terminals are still 3G. If 3G failed, most of us
> with a smartphone less than 5 years old wouldn't notice.
> 
> So if there's a 3G network failure:
> 
>   - Terminals would usually migrate to another cell, there are probably
>   not multiple cells covering a tip
>   - There is still LTE coverage there, so no customers are screaming for
>   the failure to be fixed
>   - The network is aging so failure is common
>   - Parts are hard to get or expensive because its old
>   - Social Distancing is mutually exclusive to how teams of mobile network
>   riggers normally operate, so there's a backlog of faults
>   - Coverage of a tip with a handful of regular customers is low priority
>   for a fix, no manager is escalating this over other faults
>   - Some WFH people nearby are smashing the local 3G network with their
>   old USB 3G adapters that are now on an unlimited download plan
> 
> In summary, it's probably not a cyberattack.
> 
> John
> 
>