Service disruption a 'different issue' from recent outages: Singtel
Half of the reports linked to the disruption involved broadband internet, according to Downdetector, which collates status reports from several sources.
The Singtel logo is seen on its headquarters building in Singapore. (File photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)
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SINGAPORE: Singtel said the service disruption on Monday afternoon (Mar 23) was caused by an "international traffic optimisation issue" unrelated to recent outages, and was resolved within 15 minutes.
Reports began to spike on Downdetector, which collates status reports from several sources, from about 3.15pm. Over 9,000 reports linked to the telco had been recorded as of 3.45pm.
Half of these reports involved broadband internet, according to Downdetector, which collates status reports from several sources.
This latest incident came after three consecutive days of Singtel mobile service disruptions last week, the first of which resulted in a nine-hour interruption on Mar 16.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Singtel said: "Separately, at 3.45pm this afternoon, there was a different issue impacting some customers.
"Our checks indicate an international traffic optimisation issue which was resolved within 15 minutes. Our local network remains stable and is operating as expected," the telco said.
It added that its teams had been working to optimise its mobile network performance and address the issues that led to the recent incidents. This includes vigorously testing its network over the past three days to ensure stability.
"Customers can be assured that our network services and performance have been stable," said Singtel.
"During this initial adjustment period, we understand that some of our customers may have experienced some connectivity issues, and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused."
Frustrated customers left comments on Singtel's Facebook page on Monday.
"Appears Singtel broadband is down," wrote a user named Benny Tan.
Another user named Bernice Tay said: "I am working without the proper connection that affects all my online meetings, email, and even two phone connections!"
There were also spikes in Downdetector reports logged for StarHub and M1 on Monday afternoon, peaking at over 100 and more than 70 reports, respectively, at around 3.40pm.
However, in response to queries from CNA, the telcos said that there had been no disruptions to their services.
A spokesperson for StarHub said that the telco had "no network disruptions".
"All services, including broadband, were operating as per normal," the spokesperson added.
M1, meanwhile, said: "M1's broadband and mobile services were not disrupted today. We will continue to keep a close watch to ensure that all our services are available to our customers."
Singtel said on Mar 20, following the string of disruptions, that some users may continue to experience intermittent issues over the next few days as the telco works to improve its network.
Singtel Singapore CEO Ng Tian Chong on Mar 19 apologised for the outages, and said that the disruption that occurred on the first day was due to a "mechanical fault" at one of the company's network facilities.
Separately, on Mar 17, around 2,000 customers faced mobile connectivity issues due to “a software bug from an earlier pre-planned IT system upgrade”.
"This issue was not immediately apparent as it coincided with the earlier incident. Once identified, our teams took immediate action and connectivity was progressively restored, with full restoration completed by around 4pm on the same day," said Mr Ng.
Following those disruptions, the company carried out some network reconfigurations to "further stabilise and optimise performance", he said.
During this process, there was a brief spike in network traffic at around 5.30pm on Mar 18.
These events were unrelated to one another, Mr Ng said.
"We are committed to learning from these events and working with our vendors to further enhance our network resilience and improve recovery times," he added.
