Internet slows after undersea cable cut

An Asia-America Gateway (AAG) submarine cable, connecting international Internet traffic with Vung Tau, a coastal city in the south of Viet Nam, was found cut at 8:05am yesterday.

An Asia-America Gateway (AAG) submarine cable, connecting international Internet traffic with Vung Tau, a coastal city in the south of Viet Nam, was found cut at 8:05am yesterday.

Asia-America Gateway (AAG) submarine cable is found cut in the morning of January 5, FPT Telecom confirmed for local media. — Photo vneconomy.vn
Asia-America Gateway (AAG) submarine cable is found cut in the morning of January 5, FPT Telecom confirmed for local media. — Photo vneconomy.vn

FPT Telecom Company, a member of the FPT Corporation, confirmed the information for local media. The firm said it was contacting AAG's management centre to locate the spot where the cable, which was part of an undersea line, has been cut.

The cutting of the cable slowed down the Internet connection between Viet Nam and other countries. FPT said it was transmitting Internet capacity through mainland cables to limit the effect of the damage on its customers.

In 2014 alone, the underground cable was found cut twice, in July and September, decreasing international Internet capacity by 40 to 70 per cent.

Viet Nam currently has four undersea cables. Of these, the 20,000-kilometer AAG has the largest transmission capacity, at two terabytes per second. The cable, which became operational in 2009, connects the Southeast Asia region with the United States.

Other news