Fibre network operator NetLink Trust (NLT) was yesterday given the go-ahead to resume installation work that requires visits to homes and offices, after services were suspended last week as four workers from one of its contractors tested positive for Covid-19.

But ongoing measures impacting foreign workers, including the mandatory 14-day stay-home notice issued to all construction sector workers, will significantly constrain NLT's capacity to fulfil service requests, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said in a statement yesterday.

"Customers should expect a longer waiting time for their orders to be fulfilled," the authority said. "NLT has committed to fulfil orders as quickly as (it) can, and will prioritise homes currently without broadband access and those that require urgent fault repairs."

The IMDA said it is allowing NLT to restart installation work after it found that the company and its contractors have adopted the necessary safety measures, such as taking extra care to clean up their work sites and reminding contractors to regularly sanitise their hands before and after jobs.

NLT will also require its workers to wear face shields where practical in addition to face masks, said the authority.

It reminded households and businesses to maintain safe distancing and minimise interaction time when the workers visit.

Two of the four infected workers had visited 34 homes for installation work between April 1 and April 14, while the other two were not involved in work requiring home or office visits.

NLT is the sole network builder here and runs the government-backed ultra-high-speed Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network. Its contractors have to activate fibre links before Internet service providers such as Singtel, StarHub, M1, ViewQwest or MyRepublic - which resell NLT's services - can connect their customers to the Internet.