Internet in Toa Payoh disrupted after fibre cables accidentally damaged

SINGAPORE - Some 900 houses in Toa Payoh had their Internet connection disrupted on Tuesday (Dec 21).

NetLink Trust, which provides the fibre infrastructure to Internet service providers Singtel, StarHub, M1 and MyRepublic, said some of its underground cables were damaged by a third-party contractor not working for the company.

It said services would likely be restored only on Wednesday morning, and apologised for the inconvenience caused.

The fibre cable cut incident is not the first for NetLink Trust. In May 2019, about 2,000 end-users in Marsiling had their broadband service disrupted for eight hours.

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Just a month later, another 600 end-users in Yishun had difficulty accessing fibre broadband.

NetLink Trust said there were 23 cable cuts between 2013 and 2018, all caused by third-party contractors involved in the construction of new MRT lines, power cabling, water and sewage piping works, and other development projects.

The time taken for service restoration depends on the extent of damage as well as the site and weather conditions.

NetLink Trust said it will provide periodic updates on its website. Retail service providers like Singtel will also keep users posted on their Facebook page.