SINGAPORE

A wave of frustration swept through the StarHub community on the morning of October 29 when many customers faced significant disruptions to their mobile network. The inconvenience left users scrambling and unable to access the internet during crucial hours.

According to a spokesperson for StarHub, the disruption stemmed from a scheduled software upgrade that encountered issues in the early hours of the morning. "Our teams responded quickly to resolve the issue, and full service has since been restored. We appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused," they reassured customers.

The outage first started impacting customers around 2 a.m., as highlighted by reports on outage-tracking website, Downdetector. By 7:36 a.m., the site recorded an alarming 1,007 reports from frustrated users. A staggering 80% of these were related specifically to mobile internet access, while the rest were complaints about mobile phone network issues and signal loss.

The situation escalated as reports continued to pour in, peaking at 1,921 disruption notifications around 7:06 a.m. on the dedicated “StarHub Singapore” page on Downdetector. As customers turned to social media for support, many expressed their frustrations on StarHub's Facebook page, with complaints flooding in under the company’s latest post prior to the service disruptions.

StarHub’s crisis management team was quick to respond to the outcry online, recommending a temporary workaround in a comment around 9:45 a.m. for affected users: simply enable and then disable airplane mode on their devices—a suggestion some found helpful in reconnecting to the network.

By 11 a.m., signs of recovery became evident as reports on Downdetector diminished significantly, with only about 100 notifications remaining, and around 200 reports on the StarHub Singapore page.

However, the incident has raised questions regarding the reliability of telecommunications infrastructure in Singapore. As businesses and individuals increasingly rely on mobile connectivity for daily operations, such outages can disturb both personal and professional life significantly. Industry experts are calling for a review of the maintenance and upgrade processes to ensure minimal disruption for users in the future.

As StarHub focuses on restoring customer confidence, one must wonder: Is this a sign of potential future issues, or is the company ready to bolster its systems against such outages? Only time will tell if users will remain loyal in the face of uncertainty.