MDDI's Response to PQ on Protocols Governing Third-party Construction Activities near Netlink Trust's Fibre Infrastructure

Parliament Sitting on 5 May 2026

Question for Oral Answer

*76. Mr Low Wu Yang Andre asked the Minister for Digital Development and Information (a) whether IMDA has reviewed the protocols governing third-party construction activities near NetLink Trust's fibre infrastructure; (b) what mandatory notification or supervision requirements apply before excavation commences near the Nationwide Broadband Network backbone; and (c) what enforcement action has been taken against the contractor responsible for the 18 April 2026 outage affecting approximately 5,000 households across Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Sengkang, and Punggol.

Answer

On 18 April 2026, a subcontractor conducting boring works along Marymount Road for the North-South Corridor project struck and damaged 25 underground telecommunication cables owned by NetLink Trust and Singtel. This disrupted broadband services to approximately 5,000 subscribers in parts of Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Sengkang and Punggol. Broadband services were progressively restored, with full recovery taking approximately 20 hours. A disruption of this duration and scale is a significant service disruption.

We have rules in place to minimise the risk of telecommunication cable cuts due to construction activity and earthworks. In 2019, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) introduced the Earthworks Requirements for Prevention of Damage to Telecommunication Cables, under the Telecommunications Act. They set out a multi-step process that earthwork contractors must comply with before commencing any earthworks near underground telecommunications cables. Measures include engaging licensed cable detection workers, verifying cable locations through trial holes, and obtaining approval from relevant telecommunications operators before commencing earthworks. IMDA conducts regular dialogues with earthworks contractors to ensure that they are aware of these requirements and can take necessary precautions to prevent cable damage.

Contractors that fail to comply with the Earthworks Requirements, and damage telecommunications cables face serious penalties. A contractor who damages telecommunications cables is liable, on conviction, to a fine of up to $1 million or imprisonment of up to five years, or both.

The Government's role is to raise awareness and introduce safety measures to prevent damage to telecommunication cables. When cable cuts still occur despite the best efforts to prevent them, IMDA will investigate and, where necessary, commence legal proceedings against the errant parties. The recovery of repair costs and losses is a commercial matter for the affected operators to pursue against the responsible parties.

Besides protecting our underground telecommunication cables from accidental cuts, IMDA also requires NetLink Trust to ensure that its network is resilient to outages. This includes investing in projects through a dedicated Capital Expenditure Reserve Fund, to enhance the capacity and resilience of its network. NetLink Trust has built in redundancy and path diversity in its cable routes, especially near its network core. However, nearer to homes, underground space constraints in a densely built-up city do not allow for the same degree of route duplication. Should service disruptions still occur, the Telecom Service Resiliency Code requires telecommunications operators to recover their services as quickly as possible.

Finally, we recognise the need to do more to prevent such incidents in future. IMDA is working with the Ministry of National Development (MND) and relevant infrastructure agencies to improve processes, raise the industry’s capabilities, and promote the adoption of advanced non-invasive technologies to detect and avoid damaging underground cables.

*Converted to written answer