The Intra Asia (IA) cable system connecting Viet Nam to Hong Kong, and other parts of Asia encountered a power failure on the morning of 10 January, affecting the speed of local internet connections.

The Intra Asia (IA) cable system. — Photo telepresenceoptions.com

Internet service provider Viettel said on 12 January that the disruption had occurred at several points off the coast of Singapore.

The cable is being repaired but there is no confirmation on when the IA will resume full operation.

Several internet service providers said they had rerouted, and transferred signals to other cable systems to minimise the impacts on users.

The 6,800 km (4,225 miles) undersea cable system was officially launched in November 2009, connecting Viet Nam, Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Japan.

More than 50 million people in Viet Nam, or over half of the country’s population, are online.

The IA, together with the rupture-prone 20,000km-long Asia-America Gateway (AAG) submarine line are the country’s two main cable connections.

(Source: VNS/ DA NANG Today)