Internet almost at a standstill.

[mortenaa]

Im still having the same problems... Day 3 now..

Edited September 18, 2014 by mortenaa

[richard_smith237]

The problem definetly lies with True. It has nothing to do with the undersea cable break.

Last night I couldn't open any pages (or they took at least five minutes to open). Here at work no problem. AIS 3G no problem,

I wonder if it is to do with the surveillance system. I want to write more about my theories as I have a little inside knowledge of what is happening at True but I think it is too risky to mention.

Whatever the reason is I hope we can get some decent service soon. I wonder if there is a chance of a discount in Internet fees if the problem persists? We are paying for a service that is not being delivered.

Please inform us...

I'm getting tired of True's variable performance.... I switch to use my smart phone as Wifi Hotspot and the speed is back to normal.

Thus, the slow speed appears directly related to True Internet (and not their phone service).

I'm on the 16 Mbps through a fixed phone line package.

[dalhback]

Fault In AAG Submarine Cable Causes Massive Internet Slowdown Across Southeast Asia

If you have been experiencing exceptionally slow Internet speeds, even when connected to Unifi, you’re not alone. A fault on the Asia America Gateway (AAG) submarine cable system is causing data degradation, affecting Internet users in the Southeast Asian region accessing sites based in the US.

The faulty AAG cable also means that virtually all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Malaysia will face a similar issue – though Telekom Malaysia is the only ISP to have confirmed the issue. Users on Streamyx and Unifi have and will continue to experience occasional packet loss and high pings when accessing US-based servers, resulting in exceptionally slow loading times for sites like Facebook, Twitter and other sites with US-based servers. Even messaging apps like WhatsApp will see some slowdown in sending and receiving messages.

#TMAlerts 1/2 we are experiencing some degradation of data traffic to and from the US due to a fault on the AAG submarine cable system.

— TMConnects (@TMConnects) September 17, 2014

#TMAlerts 2/2 repairs are underway to repair a fault on the AAG submarine cable system. We will share updates as they become available.

— TMConnects (@TMConnects) September 17, 2014

In its update on the matter, TM has revealed that repairs are underway to fix the cable, though there is no estimated time of completion; this is a 20,000km cable we’re talking about. The fault appears to be located in the cable connecting Vung Tau (a coastal city in southern Vietnam) and Hong Kong, where the incident was recorded to take place at about 11:41pm on Monday (September 15). Worse still is the fact that repairs will take longer than usual, as Hong Kong is currently facing Typhoon Kalmaegi.

As we mentioned earlier, this issue is a widespread one, and is not just limited to Unifi or Streamyx users. There is nothing much we can do currently, but to be patient until the cable is fully restored.

[mortenaa]

The problem definetly lies with True. It has nothing to do with the undersea cable break.

Last night I couldn't open any pages (or they took at least five minutes to open). Here at work no problem. AIS 3G no problem,

I wonder if it is to do with the surveillance system. I want to write more about my theories as I have a little inside knowledge of what is happening at True but I think it is too risky to mention.

Whatever the reason is I hope we can get some decent service soon. I wonder if there is a chance of a discount in Internet fees if the problem persists? We are paying for a service that is not being delivered.

I have two internet connections to my apartment with a fail-over router. A CAT Fiber optics, and a True ADSL line. True delivers a fiber optic line to my building as well. Primarily I'm using the CAT Fiber obviously, but in case of any problems, I'm either switching manually, or the router switches for me.

Well, right now, I'm experience the exact same problems with both connections, which is packet loss. Packet loss is very evident when streaming or working on remote servers.

So my conclusion is it's definitely a cable problem. Last year we had a similar problem when some divers with no good intentions cut some cables in the Suez canal.

Let's hope they resolve this problem as soon as possible..

[richard_smith237]

Fault In AAG Submarine Cable Causes Massive Internet Slowdown Across Southeast Asia

If you have been experiencing exceptionally slow Internet speeds, even when connected to Unifi, you’re not alone. A fault on the Asia America Gateway (AAG) submarine cable system is causing data degradation, affecting Internet users in the Southeast Asian region accessing sites based in the US.

The faulty AAG cable also means that virtually all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Malaysia will face a similar issue – though Telekom Malaysia is the only ISP to have confirmed the issue. Users on Streamyx and Unifi have and will continue to experience occasional packet loss and high pings when accessing US-based servers, resulting in exceptionally slow loading times for sites like Facebook, Twitter and other sites with US-based servers. Even messaging apps like WhatsApp will see some slowdown in sending and receiving messages.

#TMAlerts

1/2 we are experiencing some degradation of data traffic to and from the US due to a fault on the AAG submarine cable system.

— TMConnects (@TMConnects)

September 17, 2014

#TMAlerts

2/2 repairs are underway to repair a fault on the AAG submarine cable system. We will share updates as they become available.

— TMConnects (@TMConnects)

September 17, 2014

In its update on the matter, TM has revealed that repairs are underway to fix the cable, though there is no estimated time of completion; this is a 20,000km cable we’re talking about. The fault appears to be located in the cable connecting Vung Tau (a coastal city in southern Vietnam) and Hong Kong, where the incident was recorded to take place at about 11:41pm on Monday (September 15). Worse still is the fact that repairs will take longer than usual, as Hong Kong is currently facing Typhoon Kalmaegi.

As we mentioned earlier, this issue is a widespread one, and is not just limited to Unifi or Streamyx users. There is nothing much we can do currently, but to be patient until the cable is fully restored.

I'm not sure this explains why my True Internet at home is terrible, while the Internet on my Smart Phone is operating a normal speeds....

[dalhback]

The AAG is a 20,000-km, high-bandwidth fiber optic submarine cable system that will connect Southeast Asia to the United States. It will provide connectivity between Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Hong Kong SAR, Philippines, Guam, Hawaii and the US West Coast and seamless interconnection with other major cable systems connecting Europe, Australia, other parts of Asia and Africa and will utilize the field-proven Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) technology to provide upgradeable, future-proof transmission facilities for telecommunications traffic.

Bonus :

[AJBangkok]

Although I can't prove it I would bet. true is throttling back all private users and allocating the bandwidth to their commercial customers .

[AJBangkok]

Although I can't prove it I would bet. true is throttling back all private users and allocating the bandwidth to their commercial customers .

[Chicog]

I wouldn't blame them if that's their premium revenue stream.

[balo]

TOT with the same problem for weeks now. Do a speedtest here: testmy.net and try different servers worldwide.

In Thailand the speed is more oer less normal , to singapore it's fast enough , but then try Europe or US , sometimes the speed goes down to 90 kb/s so its almost impossible to open websites

Edited September 18, 2014 by balo

[impulse]

Rube questions:

If I were to buy a 3G card for USB, would it be any better?

And which is the best supplier and service plan for USB 3g (4G?) cards, given that money isn't tight? Mostly, just looking for a short term (30 day?) workaround to my currently unreliable home connection with TOT. I have a 3 year old AIS USB 3G card, but I imagine it's already long obsolete. Still, the price is right- I already own it.

I could tether my smartphone, but it's a company SIM and there's no telling what delectables they hoover up- to be used against me later....

[dalhback]

Telekom Malaysia Berhad wishes to announce that our consortium members have detected a fault on the Asia-America Gateway (AAG) submarine cable in Hong Kong segment linking Malaysia to the United States and North Asia.

TM has immediately taken pro-active steps by optimising our networks to reduce congestion and diverting traffic to alternative routes, thus, minimising the impact to our users.

Restoration works for submarine cable faults involves the concerted efforts of all consortium members, and is expected to begin on Wednesday, 1 October 2014 and completed on Monday, 6 October 2014. However, we wish to highlight that these restoration works will be subject to sea conditions, the identification of the actual location of the fault and the challenges presented working at great sea depths and pressure.

During this period, Internet users may experience some degree of service degradation such as slow browsing and high latency while accessing international websites mainly hosted in the United States (US), North Asia and Europe. Customers using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and other critical business applications linked to US, North Asia and Europe may also experience some level of service degradation.

TM shall provide necessary updates on the progress of the restoration works, and will monitor feedback from our customers on the quality of service experienced.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused and would like to assure customers that we are undertaking all necessary measures to ensure that customers continue to experience uninterrupted service.

[petedk]

I just called True (1686) and eventually got through to some kind of recorded message about the slow internet due to installation of ???? I couldn't make out what she said.

Anyway the message ended with the fact normal service will resume at 01.50 September 19. God knows how they know exactly what time it will be ok.

[yankee99]

I just called True (1686) and eventually got through to some kind of recorded message about the slow internet due to installation of ???? I couldn't make out what she said.

Anyway the message ended with the fact normal service will resume at 01.50 September 19. God knows how they know exactly what time it will be ok.

I called September 16 they said enter my number and they'd sms at 12 pm when its fixed. Guess not only is the Internet not fixed yet the sms is out too.

[muffy]

Glad to hear this , thought it was my computer .

[muffy]

Glad to hear this , thought it was my computer .

[indothai]

so i called True yesterday to tell them about my slow internet experience.... they told me it's because of the Typhoon in Hong Kong. Hong Kong phooey , I thought.

Hope they get this fixed asap.

[ignis]

I just called True (1686) and eventually got through to some kind of recorded message about the slow internet due to installation of ???? I couldn't make out what she said.

Anyway the message ended with the fact normal service will resume at 01.50 September 19. God knows how they know exactly what time it will be ok.

No idea when 'normal service' is be back but so far today and it is 19th my speed has jumped up a lot, but still nowhere near normal 13 Mbps........ between 3.6 and 4.02 Mbps [tested 4x in past 2 hours]

for past 8 days has be between 0 - just under 1 Mbps..

[petedk]

I haven't tried True today but last night my speed test to a server in USA just froze.

I have noticed that there is absolutely nothing in the press about this. Usually there is an article if there are any serious problems with the Internet.

I asked some Thai colleagues about this and they claim they don't have problems with True. Maybe they just don't think about it.

[Valentine]

Trying to check programmimg on True Visions website this morning is utterly hopeless.

[muratremix]

Using custom vpn (on a vps) and proxy (for usa IP) netflix works fine as usual.

Without VPN, Voip / Viber etc very bad.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Can't tell from reading thru this entire thread whether our collective issues with Internet connectivity lately are related to:

a) some effort at government meddling as alluded to earlier

b] the supposed undersea fiber line failure

c) a combination of the two

The discussion led me to a longish but interesting report done earlier this year on "Information controls during Thailand’s 2014 Coup."

https://citizenlab.org/2014/07/information-controls-thailand-2014-coup/

The report includes lists of various websites that were blocked by the government through various Thai ISPs earlier this year.

But it says very little about the potential ability of the government to monitor individual citizens' non-blocked web activity.

One example of that surfaced in Egypt earlier this week, with the government there reportedly planning to use or using a U.S. company's technology to perform Deep Packet Inspection of Internet traffic.

Egypt heightens surveillance of online communication

By Al Arabiya News | Staff Writer
Thursday, 18 September 2014

The Egyptian government has hired the sister company of a U.S.-based security firm for extensive monitoring of internet communication on various social platforms such as Skype, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, the state-owned Al Ahram newspaper reported on its website Thursday, citing a BuzzFeed News report.

See Egypt, the sister firm of U.S.-based Blue Coat, has already started monitoring Egypt's online communications after winning the contract this summer, beating out two other security firms: British Gamma System, and the Israeli-founded Narus System, according to BuzzFeed.

Egyptian authorities are set to the Deep Packet Inspection surveillance system, which can locate and track users in addition to extensive monitoring of online traffic, the entertainment and news website said.

Egyptian authorities contacted See Egypt to provide the country’s state security with the system and to train government operators to survey data collected from email accounts and communication on social media sites, the CEO of the company told BuzzFeed.

“Our job as a company is to give them the system. I train the government how to run it and we give them the program,” Ali Miniesy said.

While Miniesy confirmed that his company has made an offer to provide their services to Egyptian authorities, he did not say whether the offer has been accepted.

“See Egypt has already worked with the government and has strong ties to the State Security Services,” an Egyptian official who BuzzFeed said chose to remain anonymous said.

The program and training being offered by the systems engineering company will be able to “penetrate WhatsApp, Viber, Skype, or other programs if needed,” Miniesy said, describing the system to be similar to that used by Western governments, including the United States.

MORE:

[bill1369]

I just called True (1686) and eventually got through to some kind of recorded message about the slow internet due to installation of ???? I couldn't make out what she said.

Anyway the message ended with the fact normal service will resume at 01.50 September 19. God knows how they know exactly what time it will be ok.

That is the same recorded msg I have been getting for over a week. Always True "expects" to have the problem fixed by such and such time later that night. BS completely.

[Seb10001]

I spoke to True today, CAT under ocean cable from Thailand to Hong Kong damaged by storms, expected to be fixed by 17th October!!!

[giddyup]

I spoke to True today, CAT under ocean cable from Thailand to Hong Kong damaged by storms, expected to be fixed by 17th October!!!

Funny, I had a response to my email this afternoon and they said they hoped to have the problem fixed by October 6th. I guess we can surmise that they don't know when it will be fixed.

[jacko45k]

Engineer told me yesterday that international speeds were slow at the moment. Not sure how long it will last. Not sure how much control True have over this issue.

True helpline said something about it being fixed around the 12th of October, blaming CAT issues.

Good luck trying to talk to a human being, hiding under desks to save face!

[jacko45k]

Engineer told me yesterday that international speeds were slow at the moment. Not sure how long it will last. Not sure how much control True have over this issue.

True helpline said something about it being fixed around the 12th of October, blaming CAT issues.

Good luck trying to talk to a human being, hiding under desks to save face!

[jacko45k]

Engineer told me yesterday that international speeds were slow at the moment. Not sure how long it will last. Not sure how much control True have over this issue.

Multiple posting due to the internet issues!

Edited September 19, 2014 by jacko45k

[indothai]

.... this is going to be a while... go and read a book while you wait for that download to finish.

http://tuoitrenews.vn/business/22535/repairs-on-cable-break-disrupting-vietnams-internet-to-take-nearly-20-days-telecom-firm

[MaxLee]

Thank god it's Friday, aka "SNAIL-PACE-DAY", Weekend SNAIL-O-LUTION,... if you know, what I mean...