INTERNET users in Malaysia are experiencing minimal interruption following damage to the Asia-Pacific Cable Network 2 (APCN2) submarine cable, said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

The agency said it was informed by Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) about the damage to the APCN2 Segment 3 that connects Chongming, China, to Lantau, Hong Kong.

APCN2, which connects Malaysia to Singapore, Hong Kong and the US, is one of 14 submarine cable systems worldwide jointly owned by TM.

In a statement today, MCMC said TM has given an assurance that the necessary steps are being taken to reduce service interruption.

“While the consortium maintaining APCN2 identifies the exact location of the damage for repair works, TM has taken swift action to disperse the affected traffic flow through its other submarine cables to reduce the impact on users.”

TM has also activated additional capacity through the Cahaya Malaysia submarine cable, which connects Malaysia’s international traffic to Japan, said the commission.

“Internet users in Malaysia have experienced only minimal interruption as there are other submarine cables available to channel internet traffic as needed.”

It added that global giants, such as Akamai Technologies, Amazon, Facebook, Google and Microsoft MSN, have peering connections at the Malaysia Internet Exchange, and most provide cache servers on the networks of local service providers.

“This means that their content is accessible locally without any interruption.”

MCMC said it will continue to monitor the situation to ensure internet services are not severely affected during the movement-control order period.

“The community’s dependence on broadband services at this time is crucial, especially for sectors such as commerce, services and education.” – Bernama, April 11, 2020.