Contractor identified after fibre cable strike causes 20-hour outage in Singapore

Asia Piling Co has been identified as the subcontractor responsible for striking critical underground fibre optic cables, triggering a 20-hour broadband outage on 18 April 2026 that affected more than 5,000 households across Singapore.

According to state media The Straits Times, the Land Transport Authority confirmed the company’s role, adding that the main contractor for the project is the Hwa Seng - Chye Joo - Ho Lee Joint Venture.

The outage disrupted fixed fibre broadband services in Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Sengkang and Punggol. Customers from all major Internet service providers were affected, including Singtel, StarHub, M1, Simba, ViewQwest and MyRepublic.

The damage also disrupted the broadcasting of bus-arrival information, highlighting the broader impact of the incident on public services.

Construction works linked to cable strike

The companies were carrying out works for the North-South Corridor, a 21.5km expressway designed to connect northern towns to the city centre. Much of the expressway is being constructed underground.

Asia Piling Co was conducting contiguous bored piling work at the time of the incident. This process involves drilling large vertical holes into the ground and filling them with concrete to form a retaining wall for excavation.

During these operations, the underground fibre cables were struck, leading to the prolonged service disruption.

Investigations into the incident are ongoing.

Past projects and regulatory breach

Asia Piling Co has previously been involved in several major infrastructure and development projects.

These include the Tuas Water Reclamation Plant, a Housing Development Board project in Sembawang Avenue, and the Mandai Park development, all in 2021.

The company also participated in the Jurong Region project, specifically for the Gek Poh and Tawas MRT stations in the same year.

In 2021, the firm was fined S$6,500 for breaching Covid-19 safe distancing regulations. A Chinese New Year dinner it hosted involved 65 attendees across nine tables, exceeding the then limit of eight people per gathering.

Main contractor and project background

The Hwa Seng - Chye Joo - Ho Lee Joint Venture was awarded a S$242.9 million contract in 2018 to construct a 0.7km section of the North-South Corridor tunnel between Pemimpin Place and Sin Ming Avenue.

The joint venture was formally established in January 2019.

The current incident has drawn attention to construction practices and compliance standards within large-scale infrastructure projects.

Experts highlight systemic risks

Industry experts said incidents involving cable damage can arise from several factors, including poor detection methods, human error, or inadequate supervision during construction works.

They have called for wider adoption of advanced detection technologies, improved accuracy of underground service maps, and stricter penalties for lapses.

Underground telecommunications cables are considered critical infrastructure supporting Singapore’s digital economy, making such disruptions particularly significant.

Existing regulations and compliance requirements

Regulations introduced by the Infocomm Media Development Authority in 2019 mandate a nine-step process for any works conducted near telecommunications infrastructure.

Contractors are required to obtain the most updated service layout plans indicating the approximate location of cables.

They must also engage a licensed telecoms cable detection worker to prepare a report and mark the routes of all cables in the work area.

The licensed worker is responsible for determining the number and placement of trial holes needed to verify the cables’ exact location, depth and condition.

Before construction begins, contractors must notify telecommunications companies and conduct a joint site meeting with relevant parties.

Conditional approval must be obtained before digging trial holes. During this process, mechanical equipment such as excavators or tools with sharp edges must not be used.

Trial holes must be jointly inspected by contractors, detection workers, telecom operators and supervising parties. Final approval is required before full construction works can proceed.

Challenges with outdated mapping

A longstanding issue identified by experts is the reliance on outdated service layout plans, which often only provide approximate cable locations.

In a parliamentary reply in 2022, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo stated that an average of 570 end users were affected by at least 31 cable cut incidents between 2019 and 2022.

Similar incidents in recent years have resulted in significant penalties.

In 2019, subcontractor 2K International carried out deep excavation works for a Public Utilities Board project without submitting required documentation or verifying cable locations.

The disruption lasted about 19 hours and affected more than 5,500 users in Punggol, Sengkang and Jalan Kayu.

The company was fined S$314,000, while the main contractor received a S$130,000 penalty.

In another case, Eng Lam Contractors began improvement works in Sungei Tampines in 2018 without complying with requirements or checking cable locations.

The resulting disruption lasted more than 19 hours and affected 23,419 users. The company was fined S$350,000 in 2023.