"Industry pressure means that we must reduce our costs across the business," a spokesperson for the telco said in a brief telephone interview with ZDNet Australia.
"Today we announced some short-term action to reduce costs. We are likely to remove 450 roles across the business, a combination of permanent and contract positions and vacancies that won't be replaced," the spokesperson said.
Optus chief executive Paul O'Sullivan announced the news to staff in an e-mail sent out today.
The move comes as Optus has recently completed a massive reorganisation of its network management operations that has seen hundreds of staff redeployed in a bid to boost service standards.
ZDNet Australia's Steven Deare contributed to this story.
