Forum: Clearer, more timely information needed on cause of mobile service disruption

I refer to the recent reports of repeated mobile service disruptions affecting customers over three consecutive days.

The telco has described the latest incident as “momentary congestion” and maintained that there was no network outage. But such characterisations do little to reflect the real experience of users on the ground.

Many were unable to access mobile data, make payments, or use essential services such as ride-hailing apps. I personally encountered difficulties using CDC vouchers and PayNow, and had to rely on cash.

Incidents like these highlight how dependent we have become on stable mobile connectivity for everyday transactions. It is therefore concerning that disruptions of such scale and frequency can occur in quick succession, yet without clear and timely explanations on the root causes or the number of users affected.

Terms like “momentary congestion” risk downplaying what, for many, was a significant disruption to daily life.

In a highly digitalised society like Singapore, mobile networks are no longer a convenience but a critical service, much like water or electricity. Repeated service instability raises important questions about network resilience, recovery processes and the adequacy of existing safeguards.

Customers deserve greater transparency from service providers when such incidents occur. Clearer, more timely communication on the causes, impact and corrective measures would go a long way in maintaining public trust.

Gabriel Chia