ViewQwest being probed by regulator over week-long service disruption

SINGAPORE – Local broadband service provider ViewQwest is being probed by Singapore’s infocomms regulator after some customers complained they could not access the internet for more than a week.

A spokesman for the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), which enforces broadband service standards, said it views the disruption seriously and is investigating the service disruption first reported on April 29.

“We have instructed ViewQwest to address customers’ concerns and assist those who may still be experiencing connectivity issues expeditiously,” said the IMDA spokesman on May 7.

ViewQwest alerted customers to the network issues on Facebook on April 29.

A spokesman for ViewQwest said on May 7 that the outage was caused by a hardware failure impacting its server, affecting connections for some customers as they were unable to obtain valid IP or internet protocol addresses.

The problem was resolved on May 1, said the spokesman, adding that the firm has implemented measures to trace further disruptions, upgrade its systems and review its backup mechanisms.

Some customers may still experience issues, depending on their device or network settings, which may require manual adjustments, he said. “Our support teams are actively reaching out to guide these customers through the necessary steps to fully restore their service.”

ViewQwest declined to reveal how many users were affected but noted that less than 10 per cent of its customer base requested assistance. 

Asked if affected users will be compensated, the ViewQwest spokesman said: “We are exploring a gesture of support that acknowledges the disruption and reflects our sincere commitment to ensuring reliable internet for our customers. We will reach out to our customers soonest when the process is ready.”

Some customers have aired their grievances in online forums and on ViewQwest’s Facebook page.

Business consultant Steve Dawson, 49, said his connection was down for the entire period from April 29 to May 7.

He told The Straits Times that the disruption affected the online workshops he conducts from home, which require a stable and high-bandwidth internet connection to run smoothly. Using mobile data for an extended period of time causes his phone to overheat, he said.

“I can live with a short outage of one to two days, but what’s unacceptable is the lack of urgency or a clear resolution,” said Mr Dawson.

He called the helpdesk daily but was upset that he was not given an estimation of when the issue would be resolved. “They are providing an essential service and this shouldn’t happen,” he said.

Mr Cadell Deng, 35, who works in the education technology sector, said he struggled to get a clear view of most of the live action during the May 3 Polling Day live stream.

Despite switching to his mobile phone’s hot spot, the TV stream was so blurry he could barely see which candidates were on-screen.

He also had to reconfigure some smart appliances such as the air-conditioning unit and smart lights as they failed to get connected to the internet even after the broadband connection for his home improved on May 4.

Freelance writer May Chen, 38, said her connection kept dropping repeatedly from April 29, locking her out of work apps like Google Docs and WhatsApp.

Ms Chen used her phone’s mobile hot spot as a backup, but lamented that her mobile broadband is not as fast as the fixed broadband. “It’s just frustrating because I’ve paid for the service and expect it to deliver.”

MyRepublic, another broadband service provider, was also investigated by IMDA over a series of service disruptions between July and September 2024, which the company said at the time was due to an issue that arose after a system migration.

Asked about the outcome of the investigation, IMDA said it has reminded MyRepublic to ensure that it has adequate contingency measures within its network.

Under IMDA’s telecommunications quality of service standards, errant operators can be fined up to $50,000 for each instance of non-compliance.

M1 and StarHub were

handed fines totalling $610,000

for causing internet service disruptions in 2020. The outage had affected those working from home or attending home-based learning during the Covid-19 circuit breaker period then.