SINGAPORE — The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has imposed a financial penalty of S$1 million (RM3.2 million) on Singtel Mobile for mobile service disruptions in March that affected about 720,000 mobile consumer and business subscribers.

The disruptions over a three-day period on March 16, 18 and 19 were within Singtel’s control to prevent, the regulator said in a statement today, highlighting that they were not due to a cyberattack.

On April 7, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo, had said in a parliamentary reply that IMDA was investigating the incident, emphasising that service providers are required to ensure that service incidents are resolved within one hour.

Telcos who are unable to do so may face enforcement action and have financial penalties imposed, the minister stated, adding that service providers are also required to conduct regular audits on key telecom infrastructure for resilience.

What IMDA found

In its statement, IMDA said that the March 16 disruption was caused by a chiller system failure at a Singtel Exchange.