Some blame sharks while others conjure up Chinese conspiracy theories, but FPT officials fault “below-standard technical design” for the regular breaks in the Asia-America Gateway (AAG) cable which was severed last week, making access to international websites extremely slow for Vietnamese Internet users.
“I must say that the AAG cable system was built to a below-standard technical design, which is the major reason behind its frequent fractures,” said Nguyen Van Khoa, general director of FPT Telecom.
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Khoa, who was quoted by Tuoi Tre, added that the cable, which runs from Vung Tau to Hong Kong and connects Vietnam to websites in the US and beyond, is at risk of local maritime activities:
“A number of boats stop in the said overlapping areas, so their anchors may have become stuck in the cable as sailors raised them and set sail, causing it to break,” he explained.
The $560 million system is a joint venture among 19 partners, including Vietnam’s Viettel, VNPT, FPT, and STP and had suffered 3 major breaks since 2009.
FPT announced that repairs to the current break would be completed by October 6.
[Photo via Gizmodo]