AAG submarine cable cut slows internet connectivity

Hanoi, July 18 (VNA) - The Asia-America Gateway (AAG) submarine cable was cut at 6.36pm on July 15, according to its management centre. A representative from the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) said that the breakdown had reduced Internet connectivity of telecom providers between Vietnam, Hong Kong and the US by approximately 40 percent. At the moment, AAG's cable repair team is trying to resolve the breakdown. According to FPT Telecom, the cable was found cut 18km off the coast of Vung Tau southern city, at a depth of 19m. Nguyen Van Khoa, General Director of FPT Telecom, told Infonet online newspaper that the firm had a back-up plan but the Internet connection was a bit slower than it was before. Ngo Trong Hieu, Deputy General Director of CMC Telecom, said that services provided by the company had not been affected much and CMC Telecom still ensured the connectivity for its customers. VNPT's Vietnam Datacommunications Company Deputy Director Nguyen Hong Hai said that the time that it would take for repairing the cable had not yet been determined. The 20,000-kilometre cable, which connects the Southeast Asian region to the US, has earlier been repaired from February 25 to March 3 this year.-VNA