Possibility of DDoS attack on StarHub broadband service cannot be ruled out: IMDA
Posted 25 Oct 2016 18:09 Updated 25 Oct 2016 22:21
SINGAPORE: Authorities are not ruling out the possibility of a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack in the two outages that telco StarHub's broadband service saw in the space of two days.
In a joint statement to the media on Tuesday (Oct 25), the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said: "We have been paying close attention to developments as it happened on the heels of Friday’s attack against the US-based domain name system service provider, Dyn. We cannot rule out the possibility that this was a DDoS attack."
Earlier on Tuesday, StarHub said Monday's outage came after it detected a "spike in data traffic" coming into its domain name servers. The telco said it is currently investigating the root cause, including whether the spike in traffic was malicious in intent.
"What is important now is for StarHub to determine the root cause of the problem and prevent a recurrence," said IMDA and CSA in their joint statement.
"IMDA is working closely with StarHub to investigate the matter and strengthen its infrastructure and processes.
OTHER TELCOS ADVISED TO STEP UP DEFENCES
In the statement, IMDA said it also advised the other telcos to step up their defences in case there are similar disruptions to their systems.
Responding to queries from Channel NewsAsia's, Singtel said it has measures in place to safeguard its network.
“We did not observe any abnormal traffic trends over the past weekend, but will continue to monitor our networks closely. We have a robust monitoring system and resilient protection mechanisms in place to safeguard our networks,” a spokesperson told Channel NewsAsia.
M1 said it is "aware of the recent cyber-attacks and is on alert".
"We have made significant investments to defend our systems against cyber-attacks, including DDoS attacks," said Mr Chua Hian Hou, assistant general manager of corporate communications at M1.
In the joint statement, CSA added that it is "studying and addressing the risks of DDoS attacks on our communications systems, as well as the measures to mitigate the impact of such attacks if they happen."
CSA added that it would also reach out to educate the public and businesses on the need to properly secure their systems.
- CNA/dt
- wong chee tat :)
Showing posts with label M1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label M1. Show all posts
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Friday, April 10, 2015
Dallas Buyers Club downloads: M1 passed customer details to law firm on court order
Dallas Buyers Club downloads: M1 passed customer details to law firm on court order
The Singapore telco says it was acting on an order from the High Court, which has also been received by StarHub
PUBLISHED: 10:01 AM, APRIL 8, 2015
SINGAPORE — Following a court order, M1 said it has disclosed customer information to a local law firm over alleged illegal movie downloads.
In response to queries from Channel NewsAsia, an M1 spokesperson said today (April 8) that it disclosed customers’ names, NRIC numbers and addresses to Dallas Buyers Club LLC following a High Court order in January.
The telco was responding to reports that customers who allegedly made illegal downloads of the movie Dallas Buyers Club had received letters asking for compensation. The letters reportedly claimed that M1 had received a court order to reveal subscribers’ information to a law firm representing Dallas Buyers Club LLC.
“M1 did not provide personal data of the affected customers to Dallas Buyers Club LLC when it first requested for the information,” a spokesperson for the telco told Channel NewsAsia today.
“Dallas Buyers Club LLC subsequently applied for a hearing at the High Court. After hearing the parties, the Assistant Registrar of the High Court granted an order compelling M1 to disclose the names, NRIC numbers and physical addresses of the affected customers.”
“M1 has accordingly complied with this order.”
STARHUB 'IN PROCESS OF COMPLYING'
Separately, StarHub on Wednesday told Channel NewsAsia that it had also received the High Court order.
“We have received a High Court order to provide details of some customers based on particular IP addresses, and are in the process of complying with this court order,” said Ms Caitlin Fua, Assistant Vice-President of corporate communications at StarHub.
StarHub added that it has engaged external litigation to act for the company, to "ensure that the plaintiff’s claim is properly assessed by the High Court".
On Monday, internet service providers in Australia were forced to hand over the personal details of almost 5,000 users who were alleged to have shared the movie on online file-sharing networks such as BitTorrent. Similar action is being sought by Dallas Buyers Club LLC in the United States.
The movie, made on a US$5 million (S$6.79 million) budget, won Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Makeup at the 86th Academy Awards in 2014. CHANNEL NEWSASIA
- wong chee tat ):
The Singapore telco says it was acting on an order from the High Court, which has also been received by StarHub
PUBLISHED: 10:01 AM, APRIL 8, 2015
SINGAPORE — Following a court order, M1 said it has disclosed customer information to a local law firm over alleged illegal movie downloads.
In response to queries from Channel NewsAsia, an M1 spokesperson said today (April 8) that it disclosed customers’ names, NRIC numbers and addresses to Dallas Buyers Club LLC following a High Court order in January.
The telco was responding to reports that customers who allegedly made illegal downloads of the movie Dallas Buyers Club had received letters asking for compensation. The letters reportedly claimed that M1 had received a court order to reveal subscribers’ information to a law firm representing Dallas Buyers Club LLC.
“M1 did not provide personal data of the affected customers to Dallas Buyers Club LLC when it first requested for the information,” a spokesperson for the telco told Channel NewsAsia today.
“Dallas Buyers Club LLC subsequently applied for a hearing at the High Court. After hearing the parties, the Assistant Registrar of the High Court granted an order compelling M1 to disclose the names, NRIC numbers and physical addresses of the affected customers.”
“M1 has accordingly complied with this order.”
STARHUB 'IN PROCESS OF COMPLYING'
Separately, StarHub on Wednesday told Channel NewsAsia that it had also received the High Court order.
“We have received a High Court order to provide details of some customers based on particular IP addresses, and are in the process of complying with this court order,” said Ms Caitlin Fua, Assistant Vice-President of corporate communications at StarHub.
StarHub added that it has engaged external litigation to act for the company, to "ensure that the plaintiff’s claim is properly assessed by the High Court".
On Monday, internet service providers in Australia were forced to hand over the personal details of almost 5,000 users who were alleged to have shared the movie on online file-sharing networks such as BitTorrent. Similar action is being sought by Dallas Buyers Club LLC in the United States.
The movie, made on a US$5 million (S$6.79 million) budget, won Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Makeup at the 86th Academy Awards in 2014. CHANNEL NEWSASIA
- wong chee tat ):
Illegal downloads: Singtel provides subscriber details after court order
Illegal downloads: Singtel provides subscriber details after court order
PUBLISHED: 12:57 PM, APRIL 8, 2015
UPDATED: 4:10 AM, APRIL 9, 2015
SINGAPORE — Singtel today (April 8) become the latest Internet service provider (ISP) here to comply with a court order to release the details of subscribers who allegedly downloaded the Oscar-winning film Dallas Buyers Club illegally.
A Singtel spokesperson said today it received the High Court’s order yesterday. It must now turn over requested information, including the names, IC numbers and addresses of subscribers linked to the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses identified, of some 150 subscribers to Dallas Buyers Club LLC, which owns the film’s rights, by the end of the month.
The telco, she said, had received a letter in October last year from Samuel Seow Law Corporation, which represents the United States-based film studio’s suit in Singapore, requesting identities of some of its subscribers.
It had refused to comply with the court order, and engaged a lawyer to contest the order.
Lawyer Edmund Eng from law firm Shook Lin and Bok had argued that Singtel had a legal obligation to keep its customers’ information confidential and requested the court to consider if evidence provided by Dallas Buyers Club LLC was sufficient to support their claims of infringement and compel disclosure of subscribers’ identities. However, the court allowed the order to proceed.
Dallas Buyers Club LLC has reportedly identified more than 500 Singapore IP addresses here through which the movie was said to have been downloaded illegally. Apart from Singtel, both M1 and Starhub, which had also engaged lawyers, were ordered by the court to turn over information about their subscribers.
Over the weekend, letters were reportedly sent to Internet users here asking for a written offer of damages and costs within three days of receiving the letter.
Lawyer Wendy Low from Rajah & Tann LLP said she has received informal queries seeking legal advice and confirmed the letters did not specify the amount of damages sought.
This is unlike the approach taken in the US, where legal action has been threatened against 1,000 Internet users. The users were told they were liable for damages of up to US$150,000 (S$202,500) in court unless settlement fees of up to US$7,000 were paid, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.
In Australia, the Federal Court yesterday ordered six local ISPs to disclose the identities of some 4,700 people it alleges infringed the film’s copyrights.
Lawyers TODAY spoke to found it unusual that a settlement amount has not been specified in Singapore. Digital media lawyer Matt Pollins from Olswang Asia noted it is difficult to determine a precise level of damages here as there are fewer past cases of infringement claims against end users, in contrast to the US where benchmarks are more certain.
Under the Republic’s Copyright Act, statutory damages are subject to a ceiling of S$10,000 for each copyrighted work.
Mr Bryan Tan from Pinsent Masons said that the studio might be lending users a hand by allowing them to make offers reasonable to them. “This will also allow them to resolve more cases faster,” he said.
Technology and intellectual property lawyer Han Teng Wah, however, felt legal action is not the best way to deter copyright infringement.
“The people you round up are young and ignorant, they may not know what their legal rights are. The system should move to educate users on how illegal sharing will kill the creative industry,” said Mr Han.
- wong chee tat :)
PUBLISHED: 12:57 PM, APRIL 8, 2015
UPDATED: 4:10 AM, APRIL 9, 2015
SINGAPORE — Singtel today (April 8) become the latest Internet service provider (ISP) here to comply with a court order to release the details of subscribers who allegedly downloaded the Oscar-winning film Dallas Buyers Club illegally.
A Singtel spokesperson said today it received the High Court’s order yesterday. It must now turn over requested information, including the names, IC numbers and addresses of subscribers linked to the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses identified, of some 150 subscribers to Dallas Buyers Club LLC, which owns the film’s rights, by the end of the month.
The telco, she said, had received a letter in October last year from Samuel Seow Law Corporation, which represents the United States-based film studio’s suit in Singapore, requesting identities of some of its subscribers.
It had refused to comply with the court order, and engaged a lawyer to contest the order.
Lawyer Edmund Eng from law firm Shook Lin and Bok had argued that Singtel had a legal obligation to keep its customers’ information confidential and requested the court to consider if evidence provided by Dallas Buyers Club LLC was sufficient to support their claims of infringement and compel disclosure of subscribers’ identities. However, the court allowed the order to proceed.
Dallas Buyers Club LLC has reportedly identified more than 500 Singapore IP addresses here through which the movie was said to have been downloaded illegally. Apart from Singtel, both M1 and Starhub, which had also engaged lawyers, were ordered by the court to turn over information about their subscribers.
Over the weekend, letters were reportedly sent to Internet users here asking for a written offer of damages and costs within three days of receiving the letter.
Lawyer Wendy Low from Rajah & Tann LLP said she has received informal queries seeking legal advice and confirmed the letters did not specify the amount of damages sought.
This is unlike the approach taken in the US, where legal action has been threatened against 1,000 Internet users. The users were told they were liable for damages of up to US$150,000 (S$202,500) in court unless settlement fees of up to US$7,000 were paid, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.
In Australia, the Federal Court yesterday ordered six local ISPs to disclose the identities of some 4,700 people it alleges infringed the film’s copyrights.
Lawyers TODAY spoke to found it unusual that a settlement amount has not been specified in Singapore. Digital media lawyer Matt Pollins from Olswang Asia noted it is difficult to determine a precise level of damages here as there are fewer past cases of infringement claims against end users, in contrast to the US where benchmarks are more certain.
Under the Republic’s Copyright Act, statutory damages are subject to a ceiling of S$10,000 for each copyrighted work.
Mr Bryan Tan from Pinsent Masons said that the studio might be lending users a hand by allowing them to make offers reasonable to them. “This will also allow them to resolve more cases faster,” he said.
Technology and intellectual property lawyer Han Teng Wah, however, felt legal action is not the best way to deter copyright infringement.
“The people you round up are young and ignorant, they may not know what their legal rights are. The system should move to educate users on how illegal sharing will kill the creative industry,” said Mr Han.
- wong chee tat :)
Mixed response from local film-makers on illegal download crackdown
Mixed response from local film-makers on illegal download crackdown
Some say movie piracy penalties must have ‘bite’ to be effective while others say in order to curb piracy education is better than punishment
BY SERENE LIM
PUBLISHED: 11:33 AM, APRIL 9, 2015
UPDATED: 11:34 AM, APRIL 9, 2015
SINGAPORE — Responses from the film community here to the news that the producers of the Oscar-winning movie Dallas Buyers Club are seeking compensation for allegedly illegal downloads have been mixed.
Some felt the move made a strong statement against piracy, while others felt it would do little to stamp out the problem as new ways will be found to circumvent any crackdown.
The studio, Dallas Buyers Club LLC, has identified more than 500 Internet Protocol addresses in Singapore and has hired Samuel Seow Law Corporation to serve letters to them, demanding compensation. Internet service providers M1, StarHub and Singtel have been ordered by the High Court to turn over the identities of their subscribers who allegedly downloaded the film.
Mr Thomas Chia, director of independent film distributing company Lighthouse Pictures, said the move was a welcome one. “Piracy to me is like mugging of film-makers and everyone who works on a film in broad daylight,” he said. “Look at how piracy has affected the film industry — mum and pop video stores have gone under. What disturbs me is how so many people think it’s their birthright to download, and that there’s nothing wrong at all (with illegal downloading).”
However, film-maker Royston Tan, best known for box office successes 881 and 12 Lotus, said he was not in favour of legal action, because “it’s like severing a relationship with the audience”.
“The more you suppress it, the more people will find ways to get around this. They can change their IP addresses or use a VPN (Virtual Private Number),” said Mr Tan, adding that education was better than punishment.
Mr Ken Kwek, the director of Unlucky Plaza, which is set for release later this month, felt such a crackdown would probably result in people finding new means to get free movies. “I guard my work from script to screen, but once the film’s been released, especially on online platforms and digital formats, I know somebody’s going to pirate it,” he said. “Maybe I’m pessimistic, but I don’t think there’s anything you can really do to prevent piracy. It’s too big a thing.”
Mr Chia was also sceptical if legal action would be the silver bullet to end piracy. “It would depend on severity of the penalty. It has to bite for it to be effective,” he added. SERENE LIM
- wong chee tat :)
Some say movie piracy penalties must have ‘bite’ to be effective while others say in order to curb piracy education is better than punishment
BY SERENE LIM
PUBLISHED: 11:33 AM, APRIL 9, 2015
UPDATED: 11:34 AM, APRIL 9, 2015
SINGAPORE — Responses from the film community here to the news that the producers of the Oscar-winning movie Dallas Buyers Club are seeking compensation for allegedly illegal downloads have been mixed.
Some felt the move made a strong statement against piracy, while others felt it would do little to stamp out the problem as new ways will be found to circumvent any crackdown.
The studio, Dallas Buyers Club LLC, has identified more than 500 Internet Protocol addresses in Singapore and has hired Samuel Seow Law Corporation to serve letters to them, demanding compensation. Internet service providers M1, StarHub and Singtel have been ordered by the High Court to turn over the identities of their subscribers who allegedly downloaded the film.
Mr Thomas Chia, director of independent film distributing company Lighthouse Pictures, said the move was a welcome one. “Piracy to me is like mugging of film-makers and everyone who works on a film in broad daylight,” he said. “Look at how piracy has affected the film industry — mum and pop video stores have gone under. What disturbs me is how so many people think it’s their birthright to download, and that there’s nothing wrong at all (with illegal downloading).”
However, film-maker Royston Tan, best known for box office successes 881 and 12 Lotus, said he was not in favour of legal action, because “it’s like severing a relationship with the audience”.
“The more you suppress it, the more people will find ways to get around this. They can change their IP addresses or use a VPN (Virtual Private Number),” said Mr Tan, adding that education was better than punishment.
Mr Ken Kwek, the director of Unlucky Plaza, which is set for release later this month, felt such a crackdown would probably result in people finding new means to get free movies. “I guard my work from script to screen, but once the film’s been released, especially on online platforms and digital formats, I know somebody’s going to pirate it,” he said. “Maybe I’m pessimistic, but I don’t think there’s anything you can really do to prevent piracy. It’s too big a thing.”
Mr Chia was also sceptical if legal action would be the silver bullet to end piracy. “It would depend on severity of the penalty. It has to bite for it to be effective,” he added. SERENE LIM
- wong chee tat :)
Thursday, May 15, 2014
M1 fibre broadband services disrupted
M1 fibre broadband services disrupted
PUBLISHED: MAY 14, 12:50 PMUPDATED: MAY 14, 1:15 PM
SINGAPORE — Some M1 fibre broadband customers today (May 14) experienced a disruption in service.
In a post on Facebook at about noon, M1 said customers may experience difficulties in accessing their fibre broadband services.
“We are currently rectifying the issue and apologise for the inconvenience. Update will be provided at the soonest possible time,” said the telco.
In an update to the post later, M1 said it noted no data traffic to its fixed network on one of the domain name servers and “immediately took action to redirect traffic and restore services to affected customers”.
“Services have since been fully restored and affected customers are advised to reset their optical network terminating (ONT) equipment,” said M1, apologising for the inconvenience.
Within 30 minutes of the initial post on Facebook, there were nearly 100 comments with many customers complaining that they were unable to reach the telco’s customer service hotline. Several also questioned why the telco took so long to post up notice, with one user saying Internet service was disrupted since 10.40am. Various users also said that M1 should have sent an SMS to alert them of the outage.
- wong chee tat :)
PUBLISHED: MAY 14, 12:50 PMUPDATED: MAY 14, 1:15 PM
SINGAPORE — Some M1 fibre broadband customers today (May 14) experienced a disruption in service.
In a post on Facebook at about noon, M1 said customers may experience difficulties in accessing their fibre broadband services.
“We are currently rectifying the issue and apologise for the inconvenience. Update will be provided at the soonest possible time,” said the telco.
In an update to the post later, M1 said it noted no data traffic to its fixed network on one of the domain name servers and “immediately took action to redirect traffic and restore services to affected customers”.
“Services have since been fully restored and affected customers are advised to reset their optical network terminating (ONT) equipment,” said M1, apologising for the inconvenience.
Within 30 minutes of the initial post on Facebook, there were nearly 100 comments with many customers complaining that they were unable to reach the telco’s customer service hotline. Several also questioned why the telco took so long to post up notice, with one user saying Internet service was disrupted since 10.40am. Various users also said that M1 should have sent an SMS to alert them of the outage.
- wong chee tat :)
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Telcos not charging existing customers with contracts for 4G services
Telcos not charging existing customers with contracts for 4G services
The three telcos - StarHub, M1 and SingTel - have decided not to charge for 4G services for existing customers with minimum term contracts.
SINGAPORE: The three telcos - StarHub, M1 and SingTel - have decided not to charge for 4G services for existing customers with minimum term contracts.
This is after industry regulator Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore conducted an investigation into StarHub's recent announcement that it will start charging for 4G value-added services from 1 June.
IDA said in a statement on Wednesday that telcos should not change prices mid-way that affect customers with minimum term contracts if they were not clear to customers upfront what those price changes might be.
Under the Telecoms Competition Code, telcos must communicate key terms and conditions to customers prior to service sign-up.
StarHub had earlier said that it will charge customers on its SmartSurf plans $2.14 a month for the use of 4G services, after a promotion ends on 31 May.
According to IDA, currently 4G services do not support voice and SMS services, which are delivered over the 3G network.
The three telcos have offered 4G services as part of their mobile data bundle promotion and positioned them as value-added services in their promotional materials and service terms and conditions.
Speaking on Channel NewsAsia's Talking Point programme on Wednesday, IDA's Deputy Chief Executive Leong Keng Thai said the regulator has clarified the matter with the telcos and they have decided not to charge for 4G services for existing customers with term contracts until they expire.
He said: "Based on some of the feedback from consumers, we've actually reviewed certain contracts, including various promotional materials of all the three telcos.
"We found that generally and to various degrees, the terms and all the necessary notifications are captured in writing in one form or another.
"But I think, more importantly, the point is that whether this has been clearly communicated to consumers at the point of sale.
"I think at the point of sale, it is very critical, and our finding is there is certainly room for improvement in this area.
"We will be working on improving and tightening those procedures at the point of sale to ensure consumers are fully aware and we will make it a regulatory requirement."
In response, StarHub said in a statement that it values the feedback of its customers and that it has decided to further the free promotion to existing customers of its SmartSurf Lite/Value/Premium/Elite price plans till the end of their contract.
Meanwhile, a SingTel spokesman said: "Even before IDA's latest announcement was made, SingTel's policy with regard to changes to price plans or promotions is that these changes would only apply if customers choose to renew their contract or sign up a new contract.
"We will always provide customers with ample advance notice if we introduce changes or end promotions, so that they have sufficient time to make an informed decision."
- CNA/ir
- wong chee tat :)
The three telcos - StarHub, M1 and SingTel - have decided not to charge for 4G services for existing customers with minimum term contracts.
SINGAPORE: The three telcos - StarHub, M1 and SingTel - have decided not to charge for 4G services for existing customers with minimum term contracts.
This is after industry regulator Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore conducted an investigation into StarHub's recent announcement that it will start charging for 4G value-added services from 1 June.
IDA said in a statement on Wednesday that telcos should not change prices mid-way that affect customers with minimum term contracts if they were not clear to customers upfront what those price changes might be.
Under the Telecoms Competition Code, telcos must communicate key terms and conditions to customers prior to service sign-up.
StarHub had earlier said that it will charge customers on its SmartSurf plans $2.14 a month for the use of 4G services, after a promotion ends on 31 May.
According to IDA, currently 4G services do not support voice and SMS services, which are delivered over the 3G network.
The three telcos have offered 4G services as part of their mobile data bundle promotion and positioned them as value-added services in their promotional materials and service terms and conditions.
Speaking on Channel NewsAsia's Talking Point programme on Wednesday, IDA's Deputy Chief Executive Leong Keng Thai said the regulator has clarified the matter with the telcos and they have decided not to charge for 4G services for existing customers with term contracts until they expire.
He said: "Based on some of the feedback from consumers, we've actually reviewed certain contracts, including various promotional materials of all the three telcos.
"We found that generally and to various degrees, the terms and all the necessary notifications are captured in writing in one form or another.
"But I think, more importantly, the point is that whether this has been clearly communicated to consumers at the point of sale.
"I think at the point of sale, it is very critical, and our finding is there is certainly room for improvement in this area.
"We will be working on improving and tightening those procedures at the point of sale to ensure consumers are fully aware and we will make it a regulatory requirement."
In response, StarHub said in a statement that it values the feedback of its customers and that it has decided to further the free promotion to existing customers of its SmartSurf Lite/Value/Premium/Elite price plans till the end of their contract.
Meanwhile, a SingTel spokesman said: "Even before IDA's latest announcement was made, SingTel's policy with regard to changes to price plans or promotions is that these changes would only apply if customers choose to renew their contract or sign up a new contract.
"We will always provide customers with ample advance notice if we introduce changes or end promotions, so that they have sufficient time to make an informed decision."
- CNA/ir
- wong chee tat :)
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
M1 apologises and offers free calls
M1 apologises and offers free calls
POSTED: 04 Feb 2014 19:55
M1's CEO issues apology over service disruption on Tuesday and offers one day of free local mobile calls, local SMS and MMS "as a goodwill gesture”.
SINGAPORE: Telco M1 says a call processing software issue was the reason for the disruption to mobile services early Tuesday.
In a statement released on Tuesday evening, its Chief Executive Officer, Ms Karen Kooi, apologised and offered M1 customers one day of free local mobile calls, local SMS and MMS on Sunday "as a goodwill gesture”.
M1 customers were hit with a disruption in service from around 7am on Tuesday with many unable to make calls and also problems in receiving emails or data in various areas around Singapore, including Jurong, Choa Chu Kang and Raffles Place.
M1 said in its statement "our preliminary investigations suggest that a call processing software issue had unexpectedly prevented our customers’ devices from registering on the mobile network.
"A full investigation will be performed to determine the root cause of the incident."
The telco also said that the company immediately focused its efforts to restore services but the complexity of the network required it to troubleshoot the numerous interlinked network entities and full service was restored at 12:15pm.
“We are sorry for the inconvenience caused to our customers" said CEO Karen Kooi.
"We take this incident very seriously, and in addition to our own investigation, we will be appointing an independent expert to conduct a network architecture and connectivity review”.
- CNA/sf
- wong chee tat :)
POSTED: 04 Feb 2014 19:55
M1's CEO issues apology over service disruption on Tuesday and offers one day of free local mobile calls, local SMS and MMS "as a goodwill gesture”.
SINGAPORE: Telco M1 says a call processing software issue was the reason for the disruption to mobile services early Tuesday.
In a statement released on Tuesday evening, its Chief Executive Officer, Ms Karen Kooi, apologised and offered M1 customers one day of free local mobile calls, local SMS and MMS on Sunday "as a goodwill gesture”.
M1 customers were hit with a disruption in service from around 7am on Tuesday with many unable to make calls and also problems in receiving emails or data in various areas around Singapore, including Jurong, Choa Chu Kang and Raffles Place.
M1 said in its statement "our preliminary investigations suggest that a call processing software issue had unexpectedly prevented our customers’ devices from registering on the mobile network.
"A full investigation will be performed to determine the root cause of the incident."
The telco also said that the company immediately focused its efforts to restore services but the complexity of the network required it to troubleshoot the numerous interlinked network entities and full service was restored at 12:15pm.
“We are sorry for the inconvenience caused to our customers" said CEO Karen Kooi.
"We take this incident very seriously, and in addition to our own investigation, we will be appointing an independent expert to conduct a network architecture and connectivity review”.
- CNA/sf
- wong chee tat :)
M1 mobile services restored after disruption
M1 mobile services restored after disruption
POSTED: 04 Feb 2014 13:29
UPDATED: 04 Feb 2014 20:04
M1 customers were hit with a disruption in service from around 7am on Tuesday. Callers to Channel NewsAsia said they could not receive nor make calls on their M1 mobile lines. This latest disruption, which was largely resolved by 12.45pm on Tuesday, follows recent issues involving M1.
SINGAPORE: M1 customers were hit with a disruption in service from around 7am on Tuesday.
Callers to Channel NewsAsia said they could not receive nor make calls on their M1 mobile lines.
Many also had problems receiving emails or data in various areas around Singapore, including Jurong, Choa Chu Kang and Raffles Place.
In a posting on its Facebook page at about 8.20am on Tuesday, M1 said some of its customers would have had difficulties sending text messages or making voice calls.
M1 said preliminary investigations suggest that a call processing software issue had unexpectedly prevented customers' devices from registering on the mobile network.
This latest disruption, which was largely resolved by 12.15pm on Tuesday, follows recent issues involving M1.
Less than two weeks ago, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore imposed a fine of S$25,000 on M1 for failing to meet some of its outdoor coverage requirements.
This was two months after a record S$1.5-million fine was slapped on the telco for a 71-hour service outage that occurred in January last year.
Chief Executive Officer for M1 Karen Kooi apologised for the inconvenience and said they will appoint an independent expert to review their systems.
In the meantime, Ms Kooi said M1 would offer customers free local mobile calls, local SMS and MMS on Sunday as a goodwill gesture.
- CNA/ac/xq
- wong chee tat :)
POSTED: 04 Feb 2014 13:29
UPDATED: 04 Feb 2014 20:04
M1 customers were hit with a disruption in service from around 7am on Tuesday. Callers to Channel NewsAsia said they could not receive nor make calls on their M1 mobile lines. This latest disruption, which was largely resolved by 12.45pm on Tuesday, follows recent issues involving M1.
SINGAPORE: M1 customers were hit with a disruption in service from around 7am on Tuesday.
Callers to Channel NewsAsia said they could not receive nor make calls on their M1 mobile lines.
Many also had problems receiving emails or data in various areas around Singapore, including Jurong, Choa Chu Kang and Raffles Place.
In a posting on its Facebook page at about 8.20am on Tuesday, M1 said some of its customers would have had difficulties sending text messages or making voice calls.
M1 said preliminary investigations suggest that a call processing software issue had unexpectedly prevented customers' devices from registering on the mobile network.
This latest disruption, which was largely resolved by 12.15pm on Tuesday, follows recent issues involving M1.
Less than two weeks ago, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore imposed a fine of S$25,000 on M1 for failing to meet some of its outdoor coverage requirements.
This was two months after a record S$1.5-million fine was slapped on the telco for a 71-hour service outage that occurred in January last year.
Chief Executive Officer for M1 Karen Kooi apologised for the inconvenience and said they will appoint an independent expert to review their systems.
In the meantime, Ms Kooi said M1 would offer customers free local mobile calls, local SMS and MMS on Sunday as a goodwill gesture.
- CNA/ac/xq
- wong chee tat :)
M1 subscribers report problems with calls, text messages
M1 subscribers report problems with calls, text messages
The M1 mobile network hit a snag on Tuesday morning -- callers to Channel NewsAsia's news hotline said they could not receive nor make calls on their M1 mobile lines from about 8am on Tuesday morning.
Callers to Channel NewsAsia's news hotline said they could not receive nor make calls on their M1 mobile lines from about 8am on Tuesday.
Posting on its Facebook page at about 8.20am, M1 said some of its customers may be experiencing difficulties sending text messages or making voice calls. The telco added that it was rectifying the issue and apologised for the inconvenience.
Responding to Channel NewsAsia's query, the telco said: "At about 7am, some M1 customers began experiencing intermittent voice and SMS service access. M1's mobile data services are not affected."
Tagging to the telco's Facebook post, mobile subscribers wrote that they could not make nor receive phone calls from various areas of Singapore, including Jurong, Choa Chu Kang and Raffles Place.
Some said they could access the internet despite difficulties with calls and text messages.
There are also users, however, who said they could not access the internet.
- CNA/ac
- wong chee tat :)
The M1 mobile network hit a snag on Tuesday morning -- callers to Channel NewsAsia's news hotline said they could not receive nor make calls on their M1 mobile lines from about 8am on Tuesday morning.
Callers to Channel NewsAsia's news hotline said they could not receive nor make calls on their M1 mobile lines from about 8am on Tuesday.
Posting on its Facebook page at about 8.20am, M1 said some of its customers may be experiencing difficulties sending text messages or making voice calls. The telco added that it was rectifying the issue and apologised for the inconvenience.
Responding to Channel NewsAsia's query, the telco said: "At about 7am, some M1 customers began experiencing intermittent voice and SMS service access. M1's mobile data services are not affected."
Tagging to the telco's Facebook post, mobile subscribers wrote that they could not make nor receive phone calls from various areas of Singapore, including Jurong, Choa Chu Kang and Raffles Place.
Some said they could access the internet despite difficulties with calls and text messages.
There are also users, however, who said they could not access the internet.
- CNA/ac
- wong chee tat :)
Friday, December 6, 2013
M1 to introduce one-minute minimum charge for calls
M1 to introduce one-minute minimum charge for calls
POSTED: 06 Dec 2013 20:34
Telco M1 will be adopting a one-minute minimum charge for outgoing local voice and video calls on per-second billing plans from 1 January 2014.
SINGAPORE: Telco M1 will be adopting a one-minute minimum charge for outgoing local voice and video calls on per-second billing plans from 1 January 2014.
"From 1 January 2014, outgoing local voice and video call usage on Per Second Billing plans will have a minimum one-minute charge and billed per second thereafter," said M1 on its website.
This move follows competitor StarHub's move in April, with voice and video outgoing local calls charged based on an "initial block of one minute and thereafter at per second rate, with effect from 1 May 2013".
For SingTel, "local talk time is charged based on an initial block of one minute and subsequent blocks of six seconds rounded to the nearest cent on a per call basis".
M1 will also be doubling its excess data charges to S$10.70 per GB, with the maximum excess charge capped at S$188.32 from 1 January. It had previously charged S$5.35 per GB, and capped that maximum excess charge at S$94.16.
These new charges are in line with SingTel, which had earlier doubled its mobile charges for 4G customers who exceed their monthly data bundle. SingTel said that its earlier rate was a promotion which ended on Sept 15.
"The rate of S$5.35/GB for 4G local excess data usage data that is used beyond the monthly data bundle was offered as a special promotion with the launch of our 4G service in June 2012," said a SingTel spokesman on 14 August.
StarHub's promotional data excess charges will also expire on 31 December, with the rates returning to their usual price of S$8.56 per GB. The maximum data bill will now be capped at S$85.60. StarHub's promotional rate was S$6.42 per GB of excess data, with the maximum data bill capped at S$64.20.
"The promotional data excess charge details were communicated to customers ever since we launched the plans in September 2012," said a StarHub spokesman.
-TODAY/xq
- wong chee tat :)
POSTED: 06 Dec 2013 20:34
Telco M1 will be adopting a one-minute minimum charge for outgoing local voice and video calls on per-second billing plans from 1 January 2014.
SINGAPORE: Telco M1 will be adopting a one-minute minimum charge for outgoing local voice and video calls on per-second billing plans from 1 January 2014.
"From 1 January 2014, outgoing local voice and video call usage on Per Second Billing plans will have a minimum one-minute charge and billed per second thereafter," said M1 on its website.
This move follows competitor StarHub's move in April, with voice and video outgoing local calls charged based on an "initial block of one minute and thereafter at per second rate, with effect from 1 May 2013".
For SingTel, "local talk time is charged based on an initial block of one minute and subsequent blocks of six seconds rounded to the nearest cent on a per call basis".
M1 will also be doubling its excess data charges to S$10.70 per GB, with the maximum excess charge capped at S$188.32 from 1 January. It had previously charged S$5.35 per GB, and capped that maximum excess charge at S$94.16.
These new charges are in line with SingTel, which had earlier doubled its mobile charges for 4G customers who exceed their monthly data bundle. SingTel said that its earlier rate was a promotion which ended on Sept 15.
"The rate of S$5.35/GB for 4G local excess data usage data that is used beyond the monthly data bundle was offered as a special promotion with the launch of our 4G service in June 2012," said a SingTel spokesman on 14 August.
StarHub's promotional data excess charges will also expire on 31 December, with the rates returning to their usual price of S$8.56 per GB. The maximum data bill will now be capped at S$85.60. StarHub's promotional rate was S$6.42 per GB of excess data, with the maximum data bill capped at S$64.20.
"The promotional data excess charge details were communicated to customers ever since we launched the plans in September 2012," said a StarHub spokesman.
-TODAY/xq
- wong chee tat :)
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Fibre connections damaged in Bukit Panjang Exchange fire fully restored
Fibre connections damaged in Bukit Panjang Exchange fire fully restored
POSTED: 18 Oct 2013 13:17
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore said restoration work on the fibre connections damaged in the Bukit Panjang Exchange fire on October 9 has been completed.
SINGAPORE: The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) said restoration work on the fibre connections damaged in the Bukit Panjang Exchange fire on October 9 has been completed.
It is now assessing if service providers have taken all necessary action to restore the affected services as quickly as possible.
IDA is also assessing if current processes are effective in bringing about speedy service recovery.
In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, IDA said a separate review on the systemic resiliency of the fixed infocomm infrastructure is also underway.
"The public will be informed about the results of the investigations once they are completed," IDA said in the statement.
OpenNet and StarHub also issued their own statements on the completion of restoration work.
In its statement, OpenNet said if any new issues should arise, it will deal with them on "an urgent case-to-case basis".
StarHub, in its statement, said it will "continue to monitor the situation closely with OpenNet and SingTel to ensure their service to us remains stable."
As for M1, its spokesman said a small number of their fibre customers are still facing issues.
"We are making house calls to all these customers and working with OpenNet to help restore their connections," said the spokesman.
- CNA/fa
- wong chee tat :)
POSTED: 18 Oct 2013 13:17
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore said restoration work on the fibre connections damaged in the Bukit Panjang Exchange fire on October 9 has been completed.
SINGAPORE: The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) said restoration work on the fibre connections damaged in the Bukit Panjang Exchange fire on October 9 has been completed.
It is now assessing if service providers have taken all necessary action to restore the affected services as quickly as possible.
IDA is also assessing if current processes are effective in bringing about speedy service recovery.
In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, IDA said a separate review on the systemic resiliency of the fixed infocomm infrastructure is also underway.
"The public will be informed about the results of the investigations once they are completed," IDA said in the statement.
OpenNet and StarHub also issued their own statements on the completion of restoration work.
In its statement, OpenNet said if any new issues should arise, it will deal with them on "an urgent case-to-case basis".
StarHub, in its statement, said it will "continue to monitor the situation closely with OpenNet and SingTel to ensure their service to us remains stable."
As for M1, its spokesman said a small number of their fibre customers are still facing issues.
"We are making house calls to all these customers and working with OpenNet to help restore their connections," said the spokesman.
- CNA/fa
- wong chee tat :)
Thursday, October 17, 2013
SingTel fire: 60,000 customers to be compensated
SingTel fire: 60,000 customers to be compensated
Derrick Ho
The Straits Times
Thursday, Oct 17, 2013
Singtel said it would compensate as many as 60,000 home customers whose broadband Internet was crippled for days due to a fire at one of its exchange facilities. But some affected subscribers were not appeased.
Affected customers will get a speed boost for the next three months, the telco told The Straits Times on Monday. For instance, those on a 200Mbps plan will get bumped up to 300Mbps for free.
The 44,000 customers who had their mioTV service disrupted will be given a month's worth of free viewing of all channels.
Those whose fixed voice lines went down will get one month's worth of free local calls.
"We are very sorry about this... while we cannot reverse the events that have taken place in the last few days, we'd really like to thank our customers for their patience and their understanding," said Mr Yuen Kuan Moon, chief executive of SingTel's consumer division here.
Many affected subscribers The Straits Times spoke to did not seem assuaged by the telco's offer. Civil servant Sallihin Othman, whose broadband connection was down for 36 hours, said he had been expecting "a much more significant compensation".
The 28-year-old resorted to using his mobile data connection during the outage. "I think customers would have been happier to get broadband or mobile data bills waived, at least for that period of time," he said.
Writing on The Straits Times' Facebook page, Mr Wee Kheng Leong said the compensation had "no loss on SingTel's side and little real gains on the user's side".
Meanwhile, StarHub, whose fibre broadband, cable TV and voice customers were affected, said it was working towards full restoration of services. Some 500 fibre broadband customers still faced issues, it said on Monday.
M1 revealed that around 300 of its fibre broadband customers were still affected. Both telcos added that they were working on details of compensation.
In a statement on Monday, the Infocomm Development Authority said it has urged all operators to cooperate and step up efforts "urgently" to restore all remaining connections, adding that it was monitoring the situation "closely".
Last Wednesday's fire at SingTel's Bukit Panjang Internet Exchange building also affected banks, Singapore Pools, ATMs, AXS machines and even retrieval of polyclinic patient records - all of which have been restored.
As for compensation to business customers, SingTel's Mr Yuen said it will be reaching out to them separately "to better appreciate how they were affected and to address their needs".
derrickh@sph.com.sg
Additional reporting by Rachel Au-Yong
- wong chee tat :)
Derrick Ho
The Straits Times
Thursday, Oct 17, 2013
Singtel said it would compensate as many as 60,000 home customers whose broadband Internet was crippled for days due to a fire at one of its exchange facilities. But some affected subscribers were not appeased.
Affected customers will get a speed boost for the next three months, the telco told The Straits Times on Monday. For instance, those on a 200Mbps plan will get bumped up to 300Mbps for free.
The 44,000 customers who had their mioTV service disrupted will be given a month's worth of free viewing of all channels.
Those whose fixed voice lines went down will get one month's worth of free local calls.
"We are very sorry about this... while we cannot reverse the events that have taken place in the last few days, we'd really like to thank our customers for their patience and their understanding," said Mr Yuen Kuan Moon, chief executive of SingTel's consumer division here.
Many affected subscribers The Straits Times spoke to did not seem assuaged by the telco's offer. Civil servant Sallihin Othman, whose broadband connection was down for 36 hours, said he had been expecting "a much more significant compensation".
The 28-year-old resorted to using his mobile data connection during the outage. "I think customers would have been happier to get broadband or mobile data bills waived, at least for that period of time," he said.
Writing on The Straits Times' Facebook page, Mr Wee Kheng Leong said the compensation had "no loss on SingTel's side and little real gains on the user's side".
Meanwhile, StarHub, whose fibre broadband, cable TV and voice customers were affected, said it was working towards full restoration of services. Some 500 fibre broadband customers still faced issues, it said on Monday.
M1 revealed that around 300 of its fibre broadband customers were still affected. Both telcos added that they were working on details of compensation.
In a statement on Monday, the Infocomm Development Authority said it has urged all operators to cooperate and step up efforts "urgently" to restore all remaining connections, adding that it was monitoring the situation "closely".
Last Wednesday's fire at SingTel's Bukit Panjang Internet Exchange building also affected banks, Singapore Pools, ATMs, AXS machines and even retrieval of polyclinic patient records - all of which have been restored.
As for compensation to business customers, SingTel's Mr Yuen said it will be reaching out to them separately "to better appreciate how they were affected and to address their needs".
derrickh@sph.com.sg
Additional reporting by Rachel Au-Yong
- wong chee tat :)
M1's 3G service disruption caused by network upgrade
M1's 3G service disruption caused by network upgrade
By Monica Kotwani
POSTED: 16 Oct 2013 15:26
Telco M1 said some of its mobile customers in parts of Singapore were affected after it experienced intermittent connectivity issues early Wednesday morning following a scheduled network upgrade.
SINGAPORE: Telco M1 said some of its mobile customers in parts of Ang Mo Kio, Yishun and Woodlands were affected after it experienced intermittent connectivity issues early Wednesday morning following a scheduled network upgrade.
The telco said full service was resumed by 9.15am, some three hours after the disruption began.
It said a radio network controller was affected.
Many affected subscribers took to social media to express their frustrations.
Some complained of network outage in places like Bukit Panjang and Hougang.
Others subscribers said their mobile phones were latching on to Malaysia's Celcom network instead.
Two affected subscribers told Channel NewsAsia the issues started as early as 2.30am and that they could not make calls, send text messages or get internet data access.
- CNA/fa
- wong chee tat :)
By Monica Kotwani
POSTED: 16 Oct 2013 15:26
Telco M1 said some of its mobile customers in parts of Singapore were affected after it experienced intermittent connectivity issues early Wednesday morning following a scheduled network upgrade.
SINGAPORE: Telco M1 said some of its mobile customers in parts of Ang Mo Kio, Yishun and Woodlands were affected after it experienced intermittent connectivity issues early Wednesday morning following a scheduled network upgrade.
The telco said full service was resumed by 9.15am, some three hours after the disruption began.
It said a radio network controller was affected.
Many affected subscribers took to social media to express their frustrations.
Some complained of network outage in places like Bukit Panjang and Hougang.
Others subscribers said their mobile phones were latching on to Malaysia's Celcom network instead.
Two affected subscribers told Channel NewsAsia the issues started as early as 2.30am and that they could not make calls, send text messages or get internet data access.
- CNA/fa
- wong chee tat :)
IDA urges telcos to focus on restoring all services
IDA urges telcos to focus on restoring all services
By Monica Kotwani
POSTED: 16 Oct 2013 21:44
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) has urged local telcos to work together to restore all services affected by SingTel's Bukit Panjang Exchange fire on October 9.
SINGAPORE: The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) has urged local telcos to work together to restore all services affected by SingTel's Bukit Panjang Exchange fire on October 9.
In a statement on Wednesday evening, IDA said it had written to SingTel, StarHub and M1 to focus their efforts on identifying problems their end users may still be experiencing.
It said the telcos should resolve them immediately, rather than "issuing statements to assign blame, as this is neither helpful nor constructive".
The regulatory authority added it has started its own investigations to determine the cause and circumstances of the fire, which damaged fibre cable lines and caused disruptions to services islandwide.
IDA said the investigations would identify measures that need to be taken to prevent such incidents from recurring.
It would also assess whether service providers have taken "all necessary action to restore the affected services as quickly as possible", and if current processes are effective in bringing about speedy service recovery.
Also on Wednesday, SingTel announced it has formed its own Board Committee of Inquiry to look into the Bukit Panjang Exchange fire.
It will consist of three independent SingTel board members, and use "leading global experts to draw on international best practices".
Meanwhile, M1 and StarHub provided an update on the number of their affected fibre broadband subscribers.
M1 said the number of affected customers is down to some 100, from 200 on Tuesday.
StarHub said "a small number" of its subscribers in Bukit Panjang, Choa Chu Kang and Woodlands are still unable to access the Internet.
Both are working with OpenNet to restore services.
- CNA/gn
- wong chee tat :)
By Monica Kotwani
POSTED: 16 Oct 2013 21:44
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) has urged local telcos to work together to restore all services affected by SingTel's Bukit Panjang Exchange fire on October 9.
SINGAPORE: The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) has urged local telcos to work together to restore all services affected by SingTel's Bukit Panjang Exchange fire on October 9.
In a statement on Wednesday evening, IDA said it had written to SingTel, StarHub and M1 to focus their efforts on identifying problems their end users may still be experiencing.
It said the telcos should resolve them immediately, rather than "issuing statements to assign blame, as this is neither helpful nor constructive".
The regulatory authority added it has started its own investigations to determine the cause and circumstances of the fire, which damaged fibre cable lines and caused disruptions to services islandwide.
IDA said the investigations would identify measures that need to be taken to prevent such incidents from recurring.
It would also assess whether service providers have taken "all necessary action to restore the affected services as quickly as possible", and if current processes are effective in bringing about speedy service recovery.
Also on Wednesday, SingTel announced it has formed its own Board Committee of Inquiry to look into the Bukit Panjang Exchange fire.
It will consist of three independent SingTel board members, and use "leading global experts to draw on international best practices".
Meanwhile, M1 and StarHub provided an update on the number of their affected fibre broadband subscribers.
M1 said the number of affected customers is down to some 100, from 200 on Tuesday.
StarHub said "a small number" of its subscribers in Bukit Panjang, Choa Chu Kang and Woodlands are still unable to access the Internet.
Both are working with OpenNet to restore services.
- CNA/gn
- wong chee tat :)
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Fire at SingTel building disrupts telco, ATM services
Fire at SingTel building disrupts telco, ATM services
Summary: A fire at SingTel's network exchange at Bukit Panjang in the Northwest of Singapore has affected its services and of those leasing its lines, such as rival telcos' fiber broadband and cable TV, and bank ATMs and branches.
Ryan Huang
By Ryan Huang | October 9, 2013 -- 11:04 GMT (19:04 SGT)
Follow @RyZDNet
A fire at SingTel's network exchange at Bukit Panjang has disrupted services of its own and rival telcos, and bank branches and ATMs.
singtelA fire at a SingTel network exchange disrupted telco services and bank ATMs. (source: File Photo)
According to a SingTel spokesperson, the fire broke out at 2pm, causing damage to network infrastructure.
This affected some fixed voice lines, broadband, and TV services in Woodlands, Bukit Panjang, Chua Chu Kang, Upper Bukit Timah and Mandai, as well as mobile services in parts of Woodlands, Marsiling and Kranji, it added. Data lines for some corporate customers were also affected.
"Some services have already been restored since the fire was extinguished at around 3pm. Our engineers will continue to work through the night to restore the remaining services as soon as possible," said SingTel, which added it would provide regular updates via Facebook.
Rival telcos M1 and StarHub have also been hit as some of their services run on lines owned by incumbent SingTel, affecting fiber broadband and cable TV customers.
Mock Pak Lum, StarHub's Chief Technology Officer, said: "As we lease some SingTel optical fiber capacity that runs through this exchange, this has affected StarHub's cable TV, cable and fiber broadband, and digital voice services for some of our customers. We are monitoring the situation closely and working to restore services as soon as we can."
The outage has also hit stores with M1 reporting that its Causeway Point store's systems were being affected, leading to "significantly longer than usual" waiting times.
Bank ATMs and branches hit
In a statement, DBS said the fire had disrupted some of its ATMs, AXS services, and 18 of its branches including those at Changi Airport, Hougang, and Raffles Place. It added branches would remain open for an extra hour for customers. Services to most branches have since been restored at around 7pm, said a spokesperson.
According to OCBC, 11 of its ATMs were hit.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force had received a call at 2.16pm to attend to the fire, which broke out at a cable room in level one of the building, located at 40 Woodlands Road, according to Today. The fire was extinguished in 20 minutes by two water jets and no injuries were reported, it added.
Sales and payment operations at all Singapore Pools outlets except the main branch were also hit, leading it to delay its Wednesday 4D draw to 9pm from 6.30pm.
The fire comes just a week after M1 was fined a record S$1.5 million (US$1.2 million) for Singapore's worst network outage, when various services were disrupted for around three days in January. Regulator Infocomm Authority of Singapore (IDA) had reprimanded M1 for poor electrical installation practices and inadequate risk assessment practices, which led to sparks and smoke setting off a water sprinkler in a network center.
- wong chee tat :)
Summary: A fire at SingTel's network exchange at Bukit Panjang in the Northwest of Singapore has affected its services and of those leasing its lines, such as rival telcos' fiber broadband and cable TV, and bank ATMs and branches.
Ryan Huang
By Ryan Huang | October 9, 2013 -- 11:04 GMT (19:04 SGT)
Follow @RyZDNet
A fire at SingTel's network exchange at Bukit Panjang has disrupted services of its own and rival telcos, and bank branches and ATMs.
singtelA fire at a SingTel network exchange disrupted telco services and bank ATMs. (source: File Photo)
According to a SingTel spokesperson, the fire broke out at 2pm, causing damage to network infrastructure.
This affected some fixed voice lines, broadband, and TV services in Woodlands, Bukit Panjang, Chua Chu Kang, Upper Bukit Timah and Mandai, as well as mobile services in parts of Woodlands, Marsiling and Kranji, it added. Data lines for some corporate customers were also affected.
"Some services have already been restored since the fire was extinguished at around 3pm. Our engineers will continue to work through the night to restore the remaining services as soon as possible," said SingTel, which added it would provide regular updates via Facebook.
Rival telcos M1 and StarHub have also been hit as some of their services run on lines owned by incumbent SingTel, affecting fiber broadband and cable TV customers.
Mock Pak Lum, StarHub's Chief Technology Officer, said: "As we lease some SingTel optical fiber capacity that runs through this exchange, this has affected StarHub's cable TV, cable and fiber broadband, and digital voice services for some of our customers. We are monitoring the situation closely and working to restore services as soon as we can."
The outage has also hit stores with M1 reporting that its Causeway Point store's systems were being affected, leading to "significantly longer than usual" waiting times.
Bank ATMs and branches hit
In a statement, DBS said the fire had disrupted some of its ATMs, AXS services, and 18 of its branches including those at Changi Airport, Hougang, and Raffles Place. It added branches would remain open for an extra hour for customers. Services to most branches have since been restored at around 7pm, said a spokesperson.
According to OCBC, 11 of its ATMs were hit.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force had received a call at 2.16pm to attend to the fire, which broke out at a cable room in level one of the building, located at 40 Woodlands Road, according to Today. The fire was extinguished in 20 minutes by two water jets and no injuries were reported, it added.
Sales and payment operations at all Singapore Pools outlets except the main branch were also hit, leading it to delay its Wednesday 4D draw to 9pm from 6.30pm.
The fire comes just a week after M1 was fined a record S$1.5 million (US$1.2 million) for Singapore's worst network outage, when various services were disrupted for around three days in January. Regulator Infocomm Authority of Singapore (IDA) had reprimanded M1 for poor electrical installation practices and inadequate risk assessment practices, which led to sparks and smoke setting off a water sprinkler in a network center.
- wong chee tat :)
Telcos, bank services affected by fire at SingTel facility
Telcos, bank services affected by fire at SingTel facility
POSTED: 09 Oct 2013 19:38
A fire at a SingTel facility on Wednesday affected various companies, including local telcos StarHub and M1 as well as DBS and OCBC banks.
SINGAPORE - A fire at a SingTel facility on Wednesday affected various companies, including local telcos StarHub and M1 as well as DBS and OCBC banks.
OCBC said that services at 11 ATMs were affected, in locations such as Changi Airport, Jurong Point, Woodlands, Bukit Panjang, while DBS advised its customers to avoid DBS/POSB branches at Toa Payoh Central, Bukit Panjang, Jurong Point, Woodlands and Raffles Place until SingTel restores network connectivity.
DBS Bank said that the fire, which took place at SingTel's Bukit Panjang exchange at about 2pm, "affected a small proportion of DBS/POSB branches, ATMs and AXS services".
"All customers are assured that their funds are safe and the bank is working closely with SingTel to restore services as soon as possible," said DBS Bank.
The bank tweeted that it is taking "proactive measures to minimise service disruptions and will extend operating hours of all DBS and POSB branches today by an hour".
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) said in a statement that several operators have also reported to the IDA on the fire.
"The incident has affected fixed line telephone, broadband, cable TV and mobile services of several operators in the northern parts of Singapore. This may have also have affected services relying on such networks. IDA is currently investigating the issue," said a spokesperson.
StarHub said that the fire affected its cable and fibre services. "As we lease some SingTel optical fibre capacity that runs through this exchange, this has affected StarHub's cable TV, cable and fibre broadband, and digital voice services for some of our customers," said Mr Mock Pak Lum, StarHub's Chief Technology Officer.
"We are monitoring the situation closely and working to restore services as soon as we can," he said.
M1 said in a Facebook post that its fibre broadband services in the Bukit Panjang area have been impacted and that the waiting time at its Causeway Point M1 Shop is "significantly longer than usual as the systems there have been impacted by the fire at SingTel's Bukit Panjang exchange".
Others affected by the outage include the Singapore Turf Club and Singapore Pools.
At about 3.30pm, SingTel posted an update on its Facebook page, saying: "There has been a fire at our Bukit Panjang exchange and this may have affected some fixed line voice, broadband and mobile services."
According to posts on SingTel's Facebook page, users in the north-west region of Singapore such as Bukit Panjang, Choa Chu Kang, Woodlands and Yew Tee started experiencing problems with their network services from around 2pm.
Woodlands resident, Ms Fidya Nurane, 19, said that her mioTV went blank at around 3pm. She added that she was unable to send out text messages to other SingTel users. Her wifi connection was still down as of 5.20pm.
An employee at a company located at Boon Keng said the Internet in her office was down starting from around 2pm. She added that workers were unable to connect to the company's network drive and that the data plan for SingTel mobile users was also affected.
Affected users are also saying that they are unable to get through the telco's 1688 helpline. SingTel has said that it is "working to restore services as soon as possible".
The Singapore Civil Defence Force said that it received a call at 2.16pm to attend to the fire. The fire broke out at a cable room in level one of SingTel's Bukit Panjang Telephone Exchange building, located at 40 Woodlands Road. The fire was extinguished in 20 minutes by two water jets. No injuries were reported.
-TODAY/ir
- wong chee tat :)
POSTED: 09 Oct 2013 19:38
A fire at a SingTel facility on Wednesday affected various companies, including local telcos StarHub and M1 as well as DBS and OCBC banks.
SINGAPORE - A fire at a SingTel facility on Wednesday affected various companies, including local telcos StarHub and M1 as well as DBS and OCBC banks.
OCBC said that services at 11 ATMs were affected, in locations such as Changi Airport, Jurong Point, Woodlands, Bukit Panjang, while DBS advised its customers to avoid DBS/POSB branches at Toa Payoh Central, Bukit Panjang, Jurong Point, Woodlands and Raffles Place until SingTel restores network connectivity.
DBS Bank said that the fire, which took place at SingTel's Bukit Panjang exchange at about 2pm, "affected a small proportion of DBS/POSB branches, ATMs and AXS services".
"All customers are assured that their funds are safe and the bank is working closely with SingTel to restore services as soon as possible," said DBS Bank.
The bank tweeted that it is taking "proactive measures to minimise service disruptions and will extend operating hours of all DBS and POSB branches today by an hour".
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) said in a statement that several operators have also reported to the IDA on the fire.
"The incident has affected fixed line telephone, broadband, cable TV and mobile services of several operators in the northern parts of Singapore. This may have also have affected services relying on such networks. IDA is currently investigating the issue," said a spokesperson.
StarHub said that the fire affected its cable and fibre services. "As we lease some SingTel optical fibre capacity that runs through this exchange, this has affected StarHub's cable TV, cable and fibre broadband, and digital voice services for some of our customers," said Mr Mock Pak Lum, StarHub's Chief Technology Officer.
"We are monitoring the situation closely and working to restore services as soon as we can," he said.
M1 said in a Facebook post that its fibre broadband services in the Bukit Panjang area have been impacted and that the waiting time at its Causeway Point M1 Shop is "significantly longer than usual as the systems there have been impacted by the fire at SingTel's Bukit Panjang exchange".
Others affected by the outage include the Singapore Turf Club and Singapore Pools.
At about 3.30pm, SingTel posted an update on its Facebook page, saying: "There has been a fire at our Bukit Panjang exchange and this may have affected some fixed line voice, broadband and mobile services."
According to posts on SingTel's Facebook page, users in the north-west region of Singapore such as Bukit Panjang, Choa Chu Kang, Woodlands and Yew Tee started experiencing problems with their network services from around 2pm.
Woodlands resident, Ms Fidya Nurane, 19, said that her mioTV went blank at around 3pm. She added that she was unable to send out text messages to other SingTel users. Her wifi connection was still down as of 5.20pm.
An employee at a company located at Boon Keng said the Internet in her office was down starting from around 2pm. She added that workers were unable to connect to the company's network drive and that the data plan for SingTel mobile users was also affected.
Affected users are also saying that they are unable to get through the telco's 1688 helpline. SingTel has said that it is "working to restore services as soon as possible".
The Singapore Civil Defence Force said that it received a call at 2.16pm to attend to the fire. The fire broke out at a cable room in level one of SingTel's Bukit Panjang Telephone Exchange building, located at 40 Woodlands Road. The fire was extinguished in 20 minutes by two water jets. No injuries were reported.
-TODAY/ir
- wong chee tat :)
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
StarHub elbows out iCELL as provider of Singapore's free wi-fi program
StarHub elbows out iCELL as provider of Singapore's free wi-fi program
- Singapore Business Review
It also joins M1 and SingTel on board.
Current Wireless@SG users and potential users can look forward to having more choices as new Wireless@SG operators came on board for the Next Phase of the Wireless@SG programme with effect from 1 April 2013.
StarHub joins M1 and SingTel as Wireless@SG operators after the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore dropped iCELL--a local systems integrator--out of the list of providers. The IDA said that iCELL did not meet the standards of the next phase of Wireless@SG.
All three mobile operators – M1, SingTel and StarHub – will be on board as Wireless@SG operators. Y5Zone Singapore Pte Ltd, a Wi-Fi service provider will also be on board as a Wireless@SG operator.
Y5Zone Singapore is part of the Y5Zone International Group which has a regional headquarters in Hong Kong and its core business is in operating public Wi-Fi networks.
Existing Wireless@SG users could choose to retain their existing accounts with M1 or SingTel. They could also sign up with the new operators, StarHub and Y5Zone, when these operators start Wireless@SG account registration at a later date.
Users who have existing accounts with iCELL, which would cease to be a Wireless@SG operator with effect from 1 July 2013, could also choose to register a new account with M1 and SingTel now or with StarHub and Y5Zone at a later date. For iCELL users who already have Wireless@SG accounts with other operators, they could use the alternative accounts to access Wireless@SG as these accounts will remain valid.
The three mobile operators – M1, SingTel and StarHub – are also preparing for the implementation of interoperable SIM-based authentication which allows a one-time configuration of mobile phones for automatic detection and log-in to the Wireless@SG network with effect from 1 April 2014. The operators will advise the procedures of configuration details in due course.
Web-based login and Seamless Secure Access (SSA) will continue to be offered as login methods alongside SIM-based authentication.
- wong chee tat :)
- Singapore Business Review
It also joins M1 and SingTel on board.
Current Wireless@SG users and potential users can look forward to having more choices as new Wireless@SG operators came on board for the Next Phase of the Wireless@SG programme with effect from 1 April 2013.
StarHub joins M1 and SingTel as Wireless@SG operators after the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore dropped iCELL--a local systems integrator--out of the list of providers. The IDA said that iCELL did not meet the standards of the next phase of Wireless@SG.
All three mobile operators – M1, SingTel and StarHub – will be on board as Wireless@SG operators. Y5Zone Singapore Pte Ltd, a Wi-Fi service provider will also be on board as a Wireless@SG operator.
Y5Zone Singapore is part of the Y5Zone International Group which has a regional headquarters in Hong Kong and its core business is in operating public Wi-Fi networks.
Existing Wireless@SG users could choose to retain their existing accounts with M1 or SingTel. They could also sign up with the new operators, StarHub and Y5Zone, when these operators start Wireless@SG account registration at a later date.
Users who have existing accounts with iCELL, which would cease to be a Wireless@SG operator with effect from 1 July 2013, could also choose to register a new account with M1 and SingTel now or with StarHub and Y5Zone at a later date. For iCELL users who already have Wireless@SG accounts with other operators, they could use the alternative accounts to access Wireless@SG as these accounts will remain valid.
The three mobile operators – M1, SingTel and StarHub – are also preparing for the implementation of interoperable SIM-based authentication which allows a one-time configuration of mobile phones for automatic detection and log-in to the Wireless@SG network with effect from 1 April 2014. The operators will advise the procedures of configuration details in due course.
Web-based login and Seamless Secure Access (SSA) will continue to be offered as login methods alongside SIM-based authentication.
- wong chee tat :)
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
M1's 3G network hit by power fault
M1's 3G network hit by power fault
Posted: 15 January 2013 1155 hrs
SINGAPORE: Some customers of M1 have been facing problems with their mobile services on Tuesday.
The telco said in a notice on its website that one of its mobile network switches has been hit by a power problem and this may partially affect mobile services to some customers.
M1 said it's working to restore service, including diverting traffic to another switch.
It has also advised customers who have problems with the 3G service to try switching their devices to the 2G network for the time being.
- CNA/ck
- wong chee tat :)
Posted: 15 January 2013 1155 hrs
SINGAPORE: Some customers of M1 have been facing problems with their mobile services on Tuesday.
The telco said in a notice on its website that one of its mobile network switches has been hit by a power problem and this may partially affect mobile services to some customers.
M1 said it's working to restore service, including diverting traffic to another switch.
It has also advised customers who have problems with the 3G service to try switching their devices to the 2G network for the time being.
- CNA/ck
- wong chee tat :)
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Flat to low-single-digit growth for S'pore telcos in 2013: analysts
Flat to low-single-digit growth for S'pore telcos in 2013: analysts
By Thomas Cho | Posted: 17 December 2012 1831 hrs
SINGAPORE: The three main telco operators in Singapore will have a tough year ahead as analysts expect flat to low-single-digit revenue growth, despite the rollout of the high speed 4G network.
The telcos face slowing industry-wide growth and loss of sales in core voice and data markets as their hip, young, internet-based competitors offering free services are stealing market share.
Yet, digital and mobile is where Singapore's biggest telco is placing its biggest bet on.
SingTel's group CEO, Chua Sock Koong, said: "Growing the top line would involve better monetisation of mobile data, which is a fast growing area, (and) looking at new revenue sources -- that's where our investments in a lot of digital life investments will come true."
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), vendors will ship more than 1.7 billion mobile phones globally this year.
But the long queues for new releases of smartphones like iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy Note 2 do not immediately translate into higher revenue for SingTel, StarHub and M1.
OCBC Research's senior research manager, Carey Wong, said: "Singapore's penetration rate is already close to 150 percent. It is a very mature market. Any raise in ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) would probably take some time to flow through.
"We are also seeing a little bit of subscriber growth since the penetration is so high. We think low single-digit is probably correct for such mature market."
New revenue may come from the telcos moving into content and infrastructure and may also tap upstream customers like government agencies and corporations.
Standard Chartered Bank's director of technology and global equity research, Don See, said: "We need to see telcos demonstrate willingness to be more entrepreneurial -- to try out new things and to actually have a more bigger willingness to step away from their legacy business to capture some of these growth opportunities."
StarHub has been the outperformer in 2012 with its shares up by 33 percent.
SingTel and M1 have both climbed about 10 percent.
- CNA/lp
- wong chee tat :)
By Thomas Cho | Posted: 17 December 2012 1831 hrs
SINGAPORE: The three main telco operators in Singapore will have a tough year ahead as analysts expect flat to low-single-digit revenue growth, despite the rollout of the high speed 4G network.
The telcos face slowing industry-wide growth and loss of sales in core voice and data markets as their hip, young, internet-based competitors offering free services are stealing market share.
Yet, digital and mobile is where Singapore's biggest telco is placing its biggest bet on.
SingTel's group CEO, Chua Sock Koong, said: "Growing the top line would involve better monetisation of mobile data, which is a fast growing area, (and) looking at new revenue sources -- that's where our investments in a lot of digital life investments will come true."
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), vendors will ship more than 1.7 billion mobile phones globally this year.
But the long queues for new releases of smartphones like iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy Note 2 do not immediately translate into higher revenue for SingTel, StarHub and M1.
OCBC Research's senior research manager, Carey Wong, said: "Singapore's penetration rate is already close to 150 percent. It is a very mature market. Any raise in ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) would probably take some time to flow through.
"We are also seeing a little bit of subscriber growth since the penetration is so high. We think low single-digit is probably correct for such mature market."
New revenue may come from the telcos moving into content and infrastructure and may also tap upstream customers like government agencies and corporations.
Standard Chartered Bank's director of technology and global equity research, Don See, said: "We need to see telcos demonstrate willingness to be more entrepreneurial -- to try out new things and to actually have a more bigger willingness to step away from their legacy business to capture some of these growth opportunities."
StarHub has been the outperformer in 2012 with its shares up by 33 percent.
SingTel and M1 have both climbed about 10 percent.
- CNA/lp
- wong chee tat :)
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Telcos to offer new iPad mini & 4G iPad
Telcos to offer new iPad mini & 4G iPad
By Brandon Tanoto | Posted: 24 October 2012 1806 hrs
SINGAPORE: Singapore's three major telcos will be offering the new iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad that were unveiled in the United States on Tuesday.
Apple announced that it will start shipping the fourth-generation iPad, as well as the WiFi model of the iPad mini to Singapore next Friday.
It will ship the 4G versions of the two devices a couple of weeks later.
The three telcos, SingTel, StarHub and M1, said in separate statements that they will offer the new iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad in the coming weeks and customers will be able to connect to their 4G network with speeds of up to 75 Mbps.
They added that details on pricing and availability dates will be released in due course.
According to the Apple website, prices of the iPad mini start from S$448 for the 16GB WiFi model and can cost up to S$878 for the 64GB model with 4G connectivity.
Apple said the iPad mini is 52 per cent lighter and 23 per cent thinner than the third-generation iPad.
- CNA/xq
Hopefully i can get one!
- wong chee tat :)
By Brandon Tanoto | Posted: 24 October 2012 1806 hrs
SINGAPORE: Singapore's three major telcos will be offering the new iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad that were unveiled in the United States on Tuesday.
Apple announced that it will start shipping the fourth-generation iPad, as well as the WiFi model of the iPad mini to Singapore next Friday.
It will ship the 4G versions of the two devices a couple of weeks later.
The three telcos, SingTel, StarHub and M1, said in separate statements that they will offer the new iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad in the coming weeks and customers will be able to connect to their 4G network with speeds of up to 75 Mbps.
They added that details on pricing and availability dates will be released in due course.
According to the Apple website, prices of the iPad mini start from S$448 for the 16GB WiFi model and can cost up to S$878 for the 64GB model with 4G connectivity.
Apple said the iPad mini is 52 per cent lighter and 23 per cent thinner than the third-generation iPad.
- CNA/xq
Hopefully i can get one!
- wong chee tat :)
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