So in Ban Chang at 3pm Friday my AIS Fiber internet went offline, the wife subsequently called AIS Fiber customer sevice and got an automated message confirming the outage and that it would be restored by 7.30pm. Well 7.30pm came and went and still no internet so she calls again and gets a new automated message saying they need more time for repairs and the service will now be restored at 11.30pm.

To cut a long story short we are now at 4pm Sunday and still no internet, but we have just recieved a call from AIS Fiber service support who informed us that the internet will not be restored until after Tuesday!! The service support guy informed us that the reason for the outage and why it won't be restored until after Tuesday is due to the fact that the local PEA are tidying all the cables that run on their posts, to do this efficiently the PEA have taken it upon themselves without informing anyone to cut and remove any cable that is not one of their power cables.

Hence they have cut all the main 24 core fiber cables for all ISP's going into the main splice box at Sukhumvit and at every post down to beach road (4km) cut each and every fiber cable, landline cable, any other comms cable and all the small power supply cables the roadside vendors use. When I asked the service guy "can they do that legally" his response was "the posts belong to the PEA they can do what they want".

I was actually coming round to the idea that Thailand might be slowly but surely dragging itself out of the 3rd world country stigma, but this fiasco has turned that idea on its head, I am actually lost for words trying to fathom the absolute stupidity someone must possess to make a decision like this, not inform the ISP's beforehand, and not realise the consequences of their actions. Luckily AIS have given me 20 Gbps unlimited for 5 days so that I can use my phone as a wifi hotspot.

I agree - this isn’t really an infrastructure failure so much as a human one. What stands out is the complete lack of communication and coordination, with one authority acting unilaterally and clearly assuming they can do as they please because they “own” the poles.

Its almost arrogance and then combined with poor planning, short-term thinking, and zero regard for downstream impact, is what causes the real damage - and I agree - it seems like third world thinking - probbaly due to a lack of accountability.

The repeated false restoration times and vague updates just highlight a lack of accountability, lack of customer management.

It just a system where responsibility is blurred, decisions aren’t thought through, and there’s little incentive to do better - its frustrating - but also why Thailand is better to live - the alternative is a Thailand fill of Karens complaining about every little thing and then its not relaxing or fun.

What makes Thailand a great place to be most of the time, is also a double edged sword.

To be fair to Thailand - its connectivity (and the cost of it) has been excellent for a long time. That applies to most areas, and even outside populated spots, MiFi tends to work extremely well.

Where I see the real issue is with the service providers - throttling and choking. I see this all the time in the UK, and also in Thailand (particularly with True) - although I’ll admit there’s probably a bit of confirmation bias in that.

In the UK - the internet regularly stalls. In Thailand - same story. We’ve complained, it improves briefly, then drops off again. It feels like TV streaming is prioritised - that never seems to be an issue - but general internet use (computers, phones, iPads, everything) just slows or cuts out across the board.

It’s not a Thailand-specific problem. I suspect it’s down to ageing infrastructure, but I don’t know what the real fix is. Especially in Thailand, where in a moobaan you’re often locked into a single provider - no real competition, and not much incentive for them to properly resolve anything.

I'm on the verge of dropping TrueMove all together - and relying on MiFi (in Bangkok) as their system keeps being choked - at least taking control with a MiFi option means if the service drops in quality - I can switch when I want.

11 minutes ago, Wotsup said:

So in Ban Chang at 3pm Friday my AIS Fiber internet went offline, the wife subsequently called AIS Fiber customer sevice and got an automated message confirming the outage and that it would be restored by 7.30pm. Well 7.30pm came and went and still no internet so she calls again and gets a new automated message saying they need more time for repairs and the service will now be restored at 11.30pm. To cut a long story short we are now at 4pm Sunday and still no internet, but we have just recieved a call from AIS Fiber service support who informed us that the internet will not be restored until after Tuesday!! The service support guy informed us that the reason for the outage and why it won't be restored until after Tuesday is due to the fact that the local PEA are tidying all the cables that run on their posts, to do this efficiently the PEA have taken it upon themselves without informing anyone to cut and remove any cable that is not one of their power cables. Hence they have cut all the main 24 core fiber cables for all ISP's going into the main splice box at Sukhumvit and at every post down to beach road (4km) cut each and every fiber cable, landline cable, any other comms cable and all the small power supply cables the roadside vendors use. When I asked the service guy "can they do that legally" his response was "the posts belong to the PEA they can do what they want".
I was actually coming round to the idea that Thailand might be slowly but surely dragging itself out of the 3rd world country stigma, but this fiasco has turned that idea on its head, I am actually lost for words trying to fathom the absolute stupidity someone must possess to make a decision like this, not inform the ISP's beforehand, and not realise the consequences of their actions. Luckily AIS have given me 20 Gbps unlimited for 5 days so that I can use my phone as a wifi hotspot.

You should send them a sternly worded email !!

But yeah, have a data plan on the phone to cover the fibre outages... thats what normal people do.

Good to see the overhead cabling mess is getting sorted out, it's been an eyesore for years.

AIS will have to sort their own installation methods out.

Not much help for the OP I realise.

So actually, no harm done and nothing to whine about. You are in SE Asia, developing country, sh*t happens. No need to make a full blown epic out of a brief inconvenience. I kept waiting for the part where a power pole came through the roof or a crane landed in the kitchen, but somehow the grand finale was: “Luckily AIS have given me 20 Gbps unlimited for 5 days so that I can use my phone as a wifi hotspot.” Tragic stuff. Get over it.

I travel around the world using data eSIMs from the AirHub app. Gives me 5G wherever I am. Costs less than a ST for a month of service anywhere. Now you know what to do next time instead of having conniptions over a temporary outage.

8 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Good to see the overhead cabling mess is getting sorted out, it's been an eyesore for years.

AIS will have to sort their own installation methods out.

Not much help for the OP I realise.

I kinda think your missing the point here!

3 minutes ago, BilllyGOAT said:

So actually, no harm done and nothing to whine about. You are in SE Asia, developing country, sh*t happens. No need to make a full blown epic out of a brief inconvenience. I kept waiting for the part where a power pole came through the roof or a crane landed in the kitchen, but somehow the grand finale was: “Luckily AIS have given me 20 Gbps unlimited for 5 days so that I can use my phone as a wifi hotspot.” Tragic stuff. Get over it.

I travel around the world using data eSIMs from the AirHub hub. Gives me 5G wherever I am. Costs less than an ST for a month of service anywhere. Now you know what to do next time instead of having conniptions over a temporary outage.

So sorry Sir Bwana Dogboss King, I'll rush out and buy meself an eSim immediately, I'll also make sure my next post falls into line with your expectations....sorry...sorry.

30 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

You should send them a sternly worded email !!

But yeah, have a data plan on the phone to cover the fibre outages... thats what normal people do.

Thai's dont do email, they're kinda stuck at the immature facebook stage.

4 minutes ago, Wotsup said:

I kinda think your missing the point here!

Don't think so. The electricity authority are removing illegal installations. What am I missing?

I acknowledged the inconvenience for AIS customers.

34 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

I agree - this isn’t really an infrastructure failure so much as a human one. What stands out is the complete lack of communication and coordination, with one authority acting unilaterally and clearly assuming they can do as they please because they “own” the poles.

Its almost arrogance and then combined with poor planning, short-term thinking, and zero regard for downstream impact, is what causes the real damage - and I agree - it seems like third world thinking - probbaly due to a lack of accountability.

The repeated false restoration times and vague updates just highlight a lack of accountability, lack of customer management.

It just a system where responsibility is blurred, decisions aren’t thought through, and there’s little incentive to do better - its frustrating - but also why Thailand is better to live - the alternative is a Thailand fill of Karens complaining about every little thing and then its not relaxing or fun.

What makes Thailand a great place to be most of the time, is also a double edged sword.

To be fair to Thailand - its connectivity (and the cost of it) has been excellent for a long time. That applies to most areas, and even outside populated spots, MiFi tends to work extremely well.

Where I see the real issue is with the service providers - throttling and choking. I see this all the time in the UK, and also in Thailand (particularly with True) - although I’ll admit there’s probably a bit of confirmation bias in that.

In the UK - the internet regularly stalls. In Thailand - same story. We’ve complained, it improves briefly, then drops off again. It feels like TV streaming is prioritised - that never seems to be an issue - but general internet use (computers, phones, iPads, everything) just slows or cuts out across the board.

It’s not a Thailand-specific problem. I suspect it’s down to ageing infrastructure, but I don’t know what the real fix is. Especially in Thailand, where in a moobaan you’re often locked into a single provider - no real competition, and not much incentive for them to properly resolve anything.

I'm on the verge of dropping TrueMove all together - and relying on MiFi (in Bangkok) as their system keeps being choked - at least taking control with a MiFi option means if the service drops in quality - I can switch when I want.

Ok, I see you referencing the UK and stating it's no better than Thailand, are you inferring the local electricy supply company in the UK would go and cut all the ISP's FO cables without any notice or approval?

3 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Don't think so. The electricity authority are removing illegal installations. What am I missing?

I acknowledged the inconvenience for AIS customers.

ISP FO and landline cables are not illegal installations, they rent the infrastructure from the PEA!

3 minutes ago, Wotsup said:

Thai's dont do email, they're kinda stuck at the immature facebook stage.

Welcome to Thailand.

Deal with it, threads having a cry will gather you zero sympathy.

Have they rolled back to FB ?.... most like to use line.

4 minutes ago, Wotsup said:

I kinda think your missing the point here!

He's not missing the point.

The total mess on the poles is almost totally due to the ISP s who just throw up wires anyhow and more importantly do not remove any old unused wires which they are required to do under the agreement they have with PEA (that's if they got any agreement in the first place )

Also how do you know that ISP s were not warned ' clean up your mess or else' we will do it for you

5 minutes ago, Wotsup said:

So sorry Sir Bwana Dogboss King, I'll rush out and buy meself an eSim immediately, I'll also make sure my next post falls into line with your expectations....sorry...sorry.

No need to buy one now. You were already handed unlimited WiFi hotspot service from AIS, free of charge. Crisis averted.

Next time, just switch to mobile data, open the AirHub app, grab an eSIM, and you are back onto Pornhub in minutes. No epic required, no need to dirty your shorts. Might even save you a whinge.

The op cannot have been totally gobsmacked, otherwise they wouldn't have waffled on about it for so long.

2 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Welcome to Thailand.

Deal with it, threads having a cry will gather you zero sympathy.

Have they rolled back to FB ?.... most like to use line.

Jeez, another one who cannot grasp the subject theme and has to try and use sarcasm to justify there existence.

1 minute ago, BilllyGOAT said:

No need to buy one now. You were already handed unlimited hotspot from AIS, free of charge. Crisis averted.

Next time, just switch to mobile data, log into AirHub, grab an eSIM, and you are back onto Pornhub in minutes. No epic required, no need to dirty your shorts. Might even save you a whinge.

How is it free of charge when i am paying a monthly stipend for my wi-fi thats not now available because some dickhead decided to cut all the cables? wake-up!

1 minute ago, Wotsup said:

Jeez, another one who cannot grasp the subject theme and has to try and use sarcasm to justify there existence.

I grasped the theme, you are a whinger.

Likely American.

9 minutes ago, Wotsup said:

Ok, I see you referencing the UK and stating it's no better than Thailand, are you inferring the local electricy supply company in the UK would go and cut all the ISP's FO cables without any notice or approval?

No - read again... I agreed with your point regarding the disconnect and blurred lines of accountability and responsibility.

I also added... to be fair... from which point on I compared the standards of Thailands internet to that in the the UK - highlighting intermittent but frequent outages and a general reduction in service quality.

1 minute ago, Ralf001 said:

I grasped the theme, you are a whinger.

Likely American.

of course I'm a whinger just like everybody else on here, if it weren't for us whingers you'd have nothing to read, and whinge about!

17 minutes ago, Wotsup said:

So sorry Sir Bwana Dogboss King, I'll rush out and buy meself an eSim immediately, I'll also make sure my next post falls into line with your expectations....sorry...sorry.

A physical SIM also works as a hot spot if in Thailand and you have sufficient data allowance.

1 minute ago, Wotsup said:

of course I'm a whinger just like everybody else on here, if it weren't for us whingers you'd have nothing to read, and whinge about!

''EVERYBODY ELSE on here'' needs a REPORT. How''s that for a whinge?

7 minutes ago, Wotsup said:

How is it free of charge when i am paying a monthly stipend for my wi-fi thats not now available because some dickhead decided to cut all the cables? wake-up!

You are paying for fixed internet that went down. In the meantime they gave you "unlimited" 20 Gbps hotspot service to bridge the gap. That’s the “free” part.

Most people would be chuffed and call that a workaround that solved the problem. You turned it into an ongoing moan.

33 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

AIS will have to sort their own installation methods out

No problems here in my jungle village. Optic cable is tied to the trees and directly into my router.

Honestly, it is hard for me to say anything bad about AIS. I pay a total of 800 Baht a month for postpaid cell service that gives me more minutes and data than I could realistically burn through, across my main phone, backup phone, and watch, all on the same number.

Then it is under 250 Baht a month for high speed fixed internet at home. All in, I spend less in a year than some people in the West manage in a single month, and that is before any emergency “20 Gbps for 5 days” bonuses start appearing. Sometimes I leave Thailand for months and the cost is so low I do not even bother pausing it.

And when there is a temporary fixed internet outage, I switch to cell data as hotspot, they send regular updates on the outage by text, which all saves you from turning it into a full blown AN drama.

46 minutes ago, BilllyGOAT said:

Honestly, it is hard for me to say anything bad about AIS. I pay a total of 800 Baht a month for postpaid cell service that gives me more minutes and data than I could realistically burn through, across my main phone, backup phone, and watch, all on the same number.

Then it is under 250 Baht a month for high speed fixed internet at home. All in, I spend less in a year than some people in the West manage in a single month, and that is before any emergency “20 Gbps for 5 days” bonuses start appearing. Sometimes I leave Thailand for months and the cost is so low I do not even bother pausing it.

And when there is a temporary fixed internet outage, I switch to cell data as hotspot, they send regular updates on the outage by text, which all saves you from turning it into a full blown AN drama.

Same here, but 1800bht/year.

I once had over 24 hours power outage after someone stole power cables... In the middle of Bangkok!

As for moving cables underground - I previously had very reliable internet and then the moving of all cables under the pavement arrived. There wasn't much of an outage as it seems they connected new cables underground first and then just switched... but connection was totally unstable after that, necessitating to pull all the new cables through, which fixed the problem.

I don't know who the contractors moving cables were, but they suck.

7 hours ago, BilllyGOAT said:

You are paying for fixed internet that went down. In the meantime they gave you "unlimited" 20 Gbps hotspot service to bridge the gap. That’s the “free” part.

Most people would be chuffed and call that a workaround that solved the problem. You turned it into an ongoing moan.

20 Gbps? One could forgive the OP for making an mistake, substituting G for M. It's an unlimited 20 Mbps data connection.

But you have you made the same error repeatedly. That would be forgivable, if you weren't behaving like such a smarta*s.

The OP is just telling a story. Would you rather that he didn't post anything at all? What would have become of you then? You wouldn't have been able to give pointless advice about buying an eSIM. 😊

I'm sure the OP is just getting some payback after acting like a total d*ck when he first signed up. But I'm willing to give him a second chance. 😊

15 hours ago, Wotsup said:

of course I'm a whinger just like everybody else on here, if it weren't for us whingers you'd have nothing to read, and whinge about!

It seems that they don't want to give you a second chance. 😊 I tried. 😊

16 hours ago, BilllyGOAT said:

You are paying for fixed internet that went down. In the meantime they gave you "unlimited" 20 Gbps hotspot service to bridge the gap. That’s the “free” part.

Most people would be chuffed and call that a workaround that solved the problem. You turned it into an ongoing moan.

You're obviously easily "chuffed" as you put it, and it's not a workaround that solves the problem, it's a workaround that provides a temporary data package at a maximum output speed of 2.5 GB/s from the ISP, my S26 has a maximum data speed capability of 1.2 GB/s (same as all high-end models) this figure is based on the phone sitting under a mmWave node. This data speed is further reduced when the phone is indoors and then reduced even more when the phone converts it from a cellular signal to a wi-fi signal for mobile hotspot, it's then further reduced by the distance to the receiving device and by the receiving device itself,under speed test at my android box I am actually getting 25 Mbps with a latency of 220 ms. I can watch my streaming programmes with a few swconds of buffering every 10 minutes or so, but the real downside is that the phones CPU has to work at its peak to provide the mobile hotspot wi-fi function and as such gets very hot and as such protects itself by disconnecting the mobile hotspot and will not reconnect until within its operating temperature parameters. So get off your high-horse and do some actual due diligence so that you know what you're talking about before posting criticising comments.

17 hours ago, Wotsup said:

are you inferring the local electricy supply company in the UK would go and cut all the ISP's FO cables without any notice or approval?

There are no internet cables on UK power poles, so nothing to cut there