Internet connections to slow due to problems with undersea cables

The Asia America Gateway cable system, which connects Southeast Asia and the US, stretches more than 20,000km. Photo baodautu.vn

HÀ NỘI — Internet connections in Việt Nam could slow down through the upcoming New Year’s holidays after three undersea cables encountered problems.

Internet service provider Việt Nam Post and Telecommunication Corporation (VNPT) said the Asia America Gateway (AAG) undersea cable had encountered a problem on Sunday on a section connecting Việt Nam to Hong Kong.

The incident affected internet connections between Việt Nam and other countries, causing a loss of 1,100 Gigabits (Gb) out of a total of 3,785 Gb international internet traffic via the cable.

The AAG Trans-Pacific cable system stretches more than 20,000km and connects Southeast Asia and the US. It handles more than 60 per cent of the country’s international internet traffic and is exploited by major internet providers including VNPT, FPT and Viettel.

The AAG reportedly suffered similar problems on November 14 on a section around 163 kilometres off the coast of Vũng Tàu. Repair work on the section is expected to be completed by January 2, 2020.

Meanwhile, Viettel, another internet provider, has stated that two undersea cables – Intra Asia (IA) and the Asia-Africa-Europe-1 (AAE-1) also experienced problems.

The exact cause of the problems remains unknown and repair plans for AAG and AAE-1 cables have not yet been disclosed by internet providers.

Related to IA cable, a representative of Viettel said the repairs for a part of the cable would be finished by January 20 and another part by February 3 next year.

To meet the demands of customers, especially during the upcoming New Year holidays, internet service providers said they would provide more resources to ensure the quality of internet connections.

The Lunar New Year holidays will start from Thursday, January 23, 2020 to the end of Wednesday, January 29, 2020. — VNS