[UPDATED] TM: Users may face disruption for video conferencing, gaming and VPN

[ UPDATE 11/4/2020 15:50 ] International capacity loss due to APCN2 cable fault fully restored for TM customers. More details here.

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TM Unifi and Streamyx users might face slower connectivity for certain services due to a submarine cable fault. According to the broadband provider, there’s a cable fault on Segment 3 of the Asia Pacific Cable Network 2 (APCN2) between Chongming to Lantau. This cable connects Malaysia to Singapore, Hong Kong and San Jose in the United States.

Unfortunately, there’s no timeframe of when this issue can be rectified. The root cause of the fault is still under investigation by the consortium that manages the submarine cable network and it can only be ascertained after the cable ship arrives for repair.

Video Conferencing, Gaming and VPN affected

According to TM, the cable affects international connectivity for internet-based services such as video conferencing, gaming and Virtual Private Network (VPN) that are hosted in Hong Kong and the US. They added that it will cause some degree of service degradation for users in Malaysia and in the region. To minimise the impact of the issue, TM has taken steps to optimise traffic from their networks to reduce congestion and to reroute traffic through alternative routes.

Sufficient Bandwidth during MCO

According to TM, they have vast and diverse network connectivity worldwide and it is sufficient to support any sudden spike in demand for internet bandwidth. It added that although consumption has increased by 30% during the Movement Control Order, TM says there’s only an increase of 5% for international traffic and they are still capable to serve popular apps and content with acceptable user experience.

In addition, TM’s existing partnership with the world’s technology giants and social networks in localising internet content has resulted in only 20% of our internet traffic from going truly international mainly for streaming, online gaming and teleconferencing. As a result, the undersea cable issue has minimal impact on internet users in Malaysia.

TM says they are committed to ensuring that their core network and fibre optic infrastructure is ready for any increase in bandwidth requirements and to ensure that services to customers are not interrupted. They added that they have ample of backhaul capacity that can be upgraded to cater for spikes in data usage of the industry and mobile users. While TM is still waiting for a restoration date of the cable fault from the consortium, the broadband provider targets to have additional capacity ready by 20th April 2020.