Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has launched an investigation into broadband service provider ViewQwest following complaints from customers over extended Internet outages that began on 29 April 2025.
The disruption, which left some users without access to the Internet for more than a week, has drawn scrutiny from the regulator, which said it views the incident seriously.
A spokesperson for IMDA stated on 7 May that the agency has instructed ViewQwest to address customers’ concerns promptly and assist those who may still face connectivity issues.
ViewQwest initially notified customers of the disruption on Facebook on 29 April.
On 7 May, the company confirmed that a hardware failure impacting its server caused the outage. As a result, some users were unable to obtain valid IP addresses, leaving them offline.
While the technical issue has been resolved, the company acknowledged that some customers may still encounter problems. These are likely related to individual device or network settings, which may require manual adjustments.
“Our support teams are actively reaching out to guide these customers through the necessary steps to fully restore their service,” said a ViewQwest spokesperson.
Although the company declined to reveal how many users were affected, it noted that fewer than 10 per cent of its customers have requested assistance. The firm is also exploring a form of compensation.
“We are exploring a gesture of support that acknowledges the disruption and reflects our sincere commitment to ensuring reliable Internet for our customers,” the spokesperson added.
Some users took to online forums and the company’s social media pages to express dissatisfaction.
Complaints included the inability to make phone calls for several days and frustration over delayed responses from customer service.
One user reported being told they would receive a callback within 24 hours, which never materialised.
Multiple follow-ups yielded no response, prompting criticism of what was described as “greatly understaffed” customer support.
Others claimed that network issues persisted as late as 8 May, with one user saying service went down at noon on 7 May and was only restored by midnight.
This is not the first outage involving ViewQwest. In 2023, the provider experienced another service disruption that lasted about three hours.
Other providers have also faced scrutiny. In 2024, IMDA investigated MyRepublic over repeated outages following a system migration. The agency has the authority to impose fines of up to S$50,000 per incident for failure to meet service standards.
In 2020, M1 and StarHub were fined a combined S$610,000 after disruptions during the Covid-19 circuit breaker period affected home-based workers and students.
The post IMDA investigates ViewQwest after prolonged Internet outage affects customers across Singapore appeared first on The Online Citizen.
