SINGAPORE – StarHub users in many areas across Singapore were unable to access their broadband and TV services for a few hours on the evening of Aug 20, with the issue being progressively resolved only after 9pm.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, StarHub said the issue stemmed from problems with its domain name system (DNS) servers. 

The DNS is like a phonebook that matches domain names, such as those in website URLs, to internet protocol addresses, which are strings of numbers that identify devices on the internet.

“We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the disruption to broadband services experienced by some of our customers... This disruption may have caused slowness or interruptions to both broadband and TV services,” said a StarHub spokesperson.

To restore full service, StarHub advised customers to reboot their routers. If internet services are restored but television services remain down, they should restart their set-top box or television box.

StarHub customers started reporting issues from around 5.56pm– according to the Downdetector website, which tracks outages – to their broadband service, leaving them unable to access the internet.

The site registered more than 7,500 reports at 8.37pm. At 10.36pm, the number of reports had dropped to 198.

Close to 75 per cent of the reports were about landline internet, while 17 per cent were about the lack of signal.

The telco first acknowledged the issue in a Facebook post at 7.57pm, saying that it is aware that customers in “some locations” may be experiencing the disruptions.

“Our team is working to resolve the issue promptly. We apologise for the inconvenience and will share updates as soon as possible,” the post read.

StarHub did not say in its reply to ST which locations were hit, but judging from comments on its post, the outage appeared to affect customers across Singapore. The areas included Shenton Way, Tampines, Simei, Punggol, Serangoon, Potong Pasir, Hougang, Clementi, West Coast and Yew Tee.

Lamenting that there was no network connection in the Pasir Ris area, Facebook user Choo Miin Jye wrote: “I needed to access my university resource online and this (outage) happens. Please resolve this fast.”

Meanwhile, StarHub customer Aldric Loh complained on Facebook of not being able to speak to anyone despite being put on hold by the company’s customer service line for more than an hour.

The last reported StarHub disruption happened on May 30, with customers complaining of a service outage that lasted at least six hours for some, leaving them unable to access the internet.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.