Telstra is poised to eliminate approximately 650 positions, with some roles to be outsourced to India, according to information obtained by the ABC. This revelation comes shortly after the telecommunications giant announced the reduction of 209 jobs from its artificial intelligence joint venture with Accenture.
Internal emails shared with ABC News by Telstra employees indicate that the total number of job cuts could reach 650. The affected roles span across Telstra’s Enterprise and Customer divisions, as outlined in a company-wide email sent by CEO Vicki Brady on Tuesday at 4:49 PM AEDT.
Strategic Shift to Enhance Competitiveness
Telstra Enterprise, which provides telecommunications services to businesses, and Telstra Customer, the retail arm of the company, are both undergoing significant changes. In her communication to staff, Ms. Brady emphasized the necessity of these proposals to streamline operations, enhance competitiveness, and improve efficiency.
“These proposals are intended to help us reduce complexity, be more competitive and operate more efficiently and sustainably,” Ms. Brady stated. “This is important for us to deliver on our Connected Future 30 ambition by providing simpler, faster, and more competitive experiences for our customers.”
The Connected Future 30 is a strategic initiative aimed at integrating artificial intelligence into Telstra’s operations over a five-year period. The current round of job cuts is in addition to the 550 redundancies announced in July 2025 under this strategy.
Outsourcing to Infosys
As part of the restructuring, Telstra has proposed a strategic partnership with Infosys, an India-based technology company known for its IT, consulting, and outsourcing services. This partnership is expected to affect how Telstra serves its enterprise customers, with some roles being transferred to Infosys.
Employees affected by these changes have been given two options: apply for a position with Infosys or accept a redundancy package. A Telstra employee, who preferred to be identified as Kate, shared her experience of being informed about these options in a group meeting.
“We were told in a group teams meeting [with no chat option or mic availability] that we either apply for our jobs with a company called Infosys, or we will be given a redundancy,” Kate explained.
Efforts to Simplify Operations
Ms. Brady highlighted the progress Telstra has made over the past five years in simplifying operations and improving customer experience. However, she acknowledged that complexity still poses challenges in certain areas of the business.
To address these issues, Telstra has partnered with Accenture in a joint venture aimed at enhancing business processes. This $700 million venture, announced earlier in 2025, is expected to result in further job cuts, with up to 209 positions potentially being relocated to Accenture’s specialist hub in India.
“These changes would see the JV use Accenture’s global capabilities, advanced AI expertise, and specialist hub in India to deliver Telstra’s data and AI roadmap more quickly,” a JV spokesperson told the ABC.
Looking Ahead
Despite the challenges posed by these job cuts, Ms. Brady expressed confidence in the strategic direction Telstra is taking. “I understand this news may be challenging to hear, but I am confident these proposals are the right ones to help us become more simple and competitive as we continue to build momentum behind our Connected Future 30 strategy,” she stated.
Telstra has committed to consulting with its employees regarding the proposed changes and exploring redeployment opportunities for those impacted. A Telstra spokesperson assured that affected employees would have the opportunity to apply for open roles within Telstra or the joint venture, and if necessary, access retrenchment benefits and support services.
