Faulty internet cable encounters another problem

The Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) internet cable, which connects Vietnam with much of Asia, encountered a new technical problem on Saturday, while a problem that occurred last month has not been fixed.

A Vietnamese internet service provider said that according to the cable’s management unit, the new problem occurred 151 km offshore and has affected internet connections throughout the entire line.

A repair timeline has not been revealed.

The line encountered another problem on December 26, its fourth last year, when repairs on the Asia Africa Europe 1 (AAE-1) and the Asia America Gateway (AAG) undersea cables had also not yet been completed.

As of now, the AAG problem has still not been fixed.

Experts have said the issues would not cause severe disruptions to internet connections in Vietnam, as local providers are used to dealing with similar problems. Any disruptions would only occur at certain moments and not be prolonged, they said.

« They [internet providers] will gradually increase capacity on the remaining undersea cables and the land line, » a source from the Vietnam Internet Association said.

Internet providers have revealed plans to serve increasing usage demand during the Lunar New Year holiday. Military-run Viettel said it will maximize capacity on its 4G network. FPT Telecom has announced that it will expand bandwidth for free for its fiberglass cable users.

The APG cable runs 10,400 kilometers (6,460 miles) under the Pacific Ocean, with connection points in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Vietnam, where 72% of the population is online, has six submarine cable systems, plus a 120-gigabit channel that runs overland through China.

Faulty undersea cables affecting Internet connections in Vietnam is not uncommon.

By Luu Quy – VnExpress.net – January 21, 2023