VietNamNet Bridge – Telecom groups have been urged to think of alternative solutions to AAG, the optical cable system that has had many recent breakdowns and slow internet connections.

The repair of AAG was completed on January 23, with the internet resuming its normal operation only after 19 days since the day of incident.

The repeated incidents with the Asia Pacific Gateway (AAG) submarine optical cable have upset the lives and works of millions of Vietnamese.

The cable system has been cut four times just over the last two years, and it was interrupted one time for maintenance.

The problem was so serious that the AAG incident was named by journalists as one of the top 10 information and communication technology events of 2014.

A telecom expert noted that the sea cable break could occur at any time in the future.

The cable could break easily if it is hooked and dragged away by an anchor of a vessel with tens of thousands of tons, which has caused 70 percent of the cuts on the sea cable.

Also, according to the expert, the Vung Tau area, where the AAG cable connects the mainland, is believed to be one of the busiest marine transportation areas in the world. It is a relatively hollow water area and vulnerable to incidents.

Therefore, analysts have urged telecom groups to develop other sea optical cable systems instead of relying on AAG, the cable system considered the “backbone route” linking Vietnam and the rest of the world, built with huge investment capital of $553 million.

Incidents have occurred repeatedly over the last six years, since it (AAG) became operational in November 2009. In general, it takes a couple of weeks or an entire month to fix the problems each time.

“It is the right time to reconsider the quality and the stability of the cable system,” the director of a business said, complaining that the bad internet connection had upset his work over the last few weeks.

However, a senior executive of the Vietnam Post and Telecommunication Group (VNPT), the largest internet service provider, denied that the quality of the AAG cable was not good.

He said that a low-quality cable would not be used for sea cable system.

“No investor would use low-quality cables because he would have to spend money regularly to fix the problems,” he said.

Regarding the establishment of new sea cable routes, the executive said the required investment capital would be huge, and that it would take at least three to five years to build a system.

Meanwhile, another ISP said that it had joined forces with several others to build two cable systems to ease reliance on AAG.

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