Singtel to provide goodwill rebates following series of network disruptions
Singtel has announced a series of goodwill rebates for customers following multiple network outages in March 2026. Eligible users will receive between S$5 and S$10 as a gesture of apology for the disruptions caused by mechanical faults and software bugs.
- Eligible customers will receive automatic bill rebates of S$5 or S$10 following four distinct service disruptions in March 2026.
- The outages were attributed to various causes, including a mechanical fault, a software bug, and an international traffic optimisation issue.
- Singtel CEO Ng Tian Chong earlier apologised for the incidents, stating that the connectivity failures should not have occurred.
SINGAPORE: Singtel has announced that it will provide goodwill rebates to customers following a string of mobile network disruptions earlier this month. The telecommunications provider confirmed on 31 March 2026 that eligible users would receive either S$5 or S$10 on their upcoming bills.
According to messages sent by the company to its subscribers, the rebates will be reflected within the next one to two billing cycles.
The telco stated that no action is required from customers to claim the credit, as it will be applied automatically.
The company issued a formal apology alongside the announcement, acknowledging the importance of staying connected.
Singtel described the rebates as a small gesture and committed to enhancing its network resilience to prevent future occurrences of such service failures.
The decision follows four separate incidents that impacted mobile connectivity between 16 March and 23 March.
The most significant disruption began on 16 March, when approximately 15 per cent of the subscriber base experienced issues starting from 10:30am.
While 4G services were restored by early afternoon, full 5G services were not back online until 8:00pm that evening.
Singtel Chief Executive Officer Ng Tian Chong later identified the cause of this nine-hour outage as a mechanical fault.
A second incident occurred the following day, affecting around 2,000 customers.
This disruption was attributed to a software bug resulting from a pre-planned IT system upgrade. Connectivity for these users was eventually restored by 4:00pm on 17 March.
Further issues were reported on 18 March when the company underwent network reconfigurations to stabilise performance.
This led to a brief spike in network traffic at approximately 5:30pm, though the matter was resolved within an hour.
The fourth disruption took place on 23 March, generating more than 9,000 reports on the monitoring platform Downdetector.
Singtel clarified that this specific event was caused by an international traffic optimisation issue and was unrelated to the previous technical faults.
In his public apology on 19 March 2026, Ng Tian Chong stated that the series of disruptions should not have happened.
He noted that while the events occurred in close proximity, the mechanical and software issues were distinct and unconnected.
