SINGAPORE - Singapore's high-speed fibre broadband network builder has been fined $500,000 for delays in service for home and business users.
This is not the first time NetLink Trust, formerly OpenNet, has been fined. It was previously slapped with fines for failing to deliver fibre orders to home and business users on time.
The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) imposed the fine after taking into consideration NetLink Trust's previous failures in meeting service standards, and the improvements it has made to raise performance across the board.
The fine includes $200,000 for causing delays to home users between January last year and June this year.
NetLink Trust has a duty to connect 98 per cent of residential sign-ups within three working days of receiving their orders. The rest must be fulfilled in seven working days.
However, in the period assessed, it connected 87.2 to 93.2 per cent of home users' orders within three days. Also, it connected about 90 to 94.1 per cent of home users' orders within seven days.
The remaining $300,000 of the fine was for failing to connect all business orders within eight weeks of customers signing up. It failed to meet the mark from January to December last year, delivering between 45.1 and 90.7 per cent of all orders within that time frame.
In addition, the company fulfilled 29.3 to 82.7 per cent of new business sign-ups within four weeks of the order date. However, it failed to meet the minimum monthly standard of 80 per cent, except for December last year.
In a statement on Thursday (Oct 27), IMDA said it will continue to monitor NetLink Trust's performance closely.
The authority also expects NetLink Trust to "ensure that there is sufficient spare fibre in residential buildings to cater to all residential orders" and improve its processes.
NetLink Trust, in a statement on Thursday (Oct 27), said it accepted the fines.
"Addressing the expectations of the IMDA and our partners continues to be a priority for us," said its chief executive Tong Yew Heng.
"We are investing about $150 million to install more fibre across the country and to upgrade the operational and business IT systems in order to deliver a robust fibre broadband network."
