SINGAPORE – Hold onto your Wi-Fi, because local broadband provider ViewQwest is in hot water! Following a massive week-long internet outage that left many customers stranded offline, Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has launched an investigation into the matter.

This internet service disruption first raised alarms on April 29, when a flurry of complaints began flooding in. An IMDA spokesperson stated that they take this situation very seriously and have ordered ViewQwest to promptly address customer concerns. "We’ve instructed them to help anyone still facing connectivity issues," they emphasized.

Initially, ViewQwest acknowledged the network issues via Facebook and attributed the chaos to a significant hardware failure that prevented some customers from obtaining their internet protocol addresses, crippling access.

While they’ve indicated that the issue has been resolved, there's a catch: some customers may still experience lingering connectivity problems due to device settings. ViewQwest has assured clients that their support teams are on standby, ready to assist with necessary adjustments.

But how many users were affected? While ViewQwest is tight-lipped about figures, they did mention that fewer than 10% of their customer base sought help. As for compensation? A spokesperson hinted at a potential goodwill gesture for affected users, although details remain under wraps.

Customer frustrations have spilled over into online forums and ViewQwest’s social media. Steve Dawson, a 49-year-old business consultant, was left offline for the entirety of the disruption, which derailed his online workshops that rely on a robust internet connection. "A brief outage is manageable, but this downtime, coupled with a lack of timely updates, is simply unacceptable," he exclaimed.

Similarly, Cadell Deng, 35, faced a nightmare during the May 3 Polling Day live stream, only managing to catch blurry glimpses of candidates due to his unstable internet. With smart home devices failing to reconnect, he was left grappling with a frustrating situation that disrupted his routine.

Freelance writer May Chen, 38, also experienced relentless disconnections, leaving her locked out of essential work applications. Having to rely on her mobile hotspot, she expressed her serious disappointment, stating, "I pay for service I expect to be reliable, and it just hasn’t delivered."

This isn’t the first time IMDA has had to step in; MyRepublic faced scrutiny over similar issues last year. Companies that fall short of IMDA’s service quality standards can face hefty fines—up to $50,000 per infraction. Just ask M1 and StarHub, who were fined a staggering $610,000 during the disruption in 2020.

Stay tuned as the investigation unfolds to see what measures will be taken and if customers will receive the compensation they deserve!