Frequently Asked Questions
Appointment Delays
What are the causes of appointment delays?
We know delays can be frustrating, and we are striving to complete your network connection as soon as possible. As our work involve the coordination of different parties (as seen below), there are instances where your appointment may be delayed by circumstances that are beyond the control of NetLink Trust.
End-Users
- Requested to reschedule the appointment but have yet to confirm the new date/time.
- Forgot about the appointment and had to reschedule.
- The fibre cable inside the end-user’s premises is broken, or the Fibre Termination Point (FTP) has been removed. In these instances, repairs must be carried out before we can carry out our installation work.
- The end-user’s premises is under renovation, and we can only carry out our installation work upon the completion of renovation.
- End-users who prefer concealed cabling or other non-standard trunking will need to engage their own contractors to carry out the work before we can proceed with installation.
- Obstruction of telecommunications riser outside end-user’s premises.
- Internal pipe blockage within end-user’s premises.
- No lead-in pipe. End-users need to provide lead-in pipes as per the Code of Practice for Info-communication Facilities in Buildings (COPIF) standards.
NetLink Trust
- Insufficient network capacity - more equipment or fibre cables need to be added before installation work can be done.
- Fixing signal issues.
- Correcting cable connections.
- Resolving network conflicts.
- Carry out additional work due to unexpected complications onsite, for example, obstruction of manhole, work area requires special equipment (e.g. scaffold tower or lift), etc. A bigger complication would be external pipe blockage outside the end-user’s premises. It can take up to three months to clear the blockage as we will have to apply for permits from the relevant authorities, purchase underground electrical cable plans from the utility company, wait for permit approvals and cable plans, conduct cable detection work, excavate and repair ducts.
Building Management
- Denial of access to Main Distribution Frame (MDF) room or riser inside condominiums. If access is not available on the day of installation, your appointment will be put on hold until access is granted.
- If concealed cabling or other non-standard trunking is required in common areas like corridors/risers, the building management must engage their own contractors to carry out the work before we can proceed with installation.
The conduit leading into my premises has problems. What should I do?
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COPIF 2008 |
COPIF 2013 |
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You are advised to raise the conduit issue immediately to the Town Council or building management/managing agents for condominium. Town Council and building management/managing agents shall be responsible for the rectification works. Once the defects have been rectified, you can inform us to arrange for our appointed contractors to complete the installation. |
You are advised to raise the conduit issue immediately to the Town Council or building management/managing agents for condominium. Town Council and building management/managing agents shall be responsible for the rectification works. Once the defects have been rectified, you can engage your preferred licensed telecommunication wiring contractor to complete the installation. |
I am a homeowner of a single landed development and have done some Addition & Alteration (A&A) works. What should I do to get my property ready for fibre?
Either you or your building developer have/has to submit the building and telecommunication facility plans to the Telecommunication Facility Co-ordination Committee (TFCC) during the development planning stage. For more details, you may refer to IMDA's COPIF 2018. Once you have made this submission, NetLink Trust, as a committee member of the TFCC, will make the necessary arrangements to work with you or your building developer on the fibre connectivity to your home.
It is important that you handover the relevant space and facilities (e.g. Public Telecommunication Licensee's compartment, fibre termination point at the gate pillar, and lead-in pipes) at least 3 months before your Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) date. Failure to do so may delay the fibre connection to your home.
It is important that you handover the relevant space and facilities (e.g. Public Telecommunication Licensee's compartment, fibre termination point at the gate pillar, and lead-in pipes) at least 3 months before your Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) date. Failure to do so may delay the fibre connection to your home.
What is a pipe blockage and why does it happen?
Pipe blockage occurs when an underground duct leading into a property is choked and we are unable pull a fibre cable into the property. This can be due to various factors – wear and tear of the ducts, soil movement over time which dislocated the ducts, or ducts damaged during the addition & alteration works by property owners/developers.
Why does it take up to three months to clear a pipe blockage outside my landed premises?
Before any earthworks can be carried out, we need to apply for the necessary permits from the relevant authorities. We may also need to purchase the underground electrical cable plan from the utility company. Approvals for these permits, the purchase of cable plan, and the subsequent task of performing cable detection can take up to two months. Once the permits have been approved and cable detection completed, our contractor will carry out excavation works to repair the pipes. Upon the completion of pipe repairs, we will get in touch with you to resume the fibre installation to your home.
What happens if I have a pipe blockage within my premises? What should I do?
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COPIF 2008 |
COPIF 2013 |
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You are required to clear the choked pipe before requesting for fibre broadband service. There may be a delay to your service activation period if the pipe choke is not cleared by the time you take up a fibre broadband service with your Internet Service Provider. Alternatively, if you are unable to or do not wish to clear the internal underground pipe block, we can run an above-ground surface PVC conduit along your fence/side wall to bring the fibre cable into your home. |
You are required to clear the choked pipe before requesting for fibre broadband service. There may be a delay to your service activation period if the pipe choke is not cleared by the time you take up a fibre broadband service with your Internet Service Provider. Once the choked pipe has been cleared, you can engage your preferred licensed telecommunication wiring contractor to complete the installation. |
What is a springboard issue? Why is my connection delayed by this issue?
The springboard issue occurs when NetLink Trust is refused entry into a Main Distribution Frame (MDF) room that is located in another building or property.
Provisioning time is delayed due to the challenges that NetLink Trust faced in obtaining the building management’s approval to access the MDF room. NetLink Trust is working with IMDA and the relevant building managements to resolve the access issues. Once access is granted, provisioning of fibre can proceed.
Provisioning time is delayed due to the challenges that NetLink Trust faced in obtaining the building management’s approval to access the MDF room. NetLink Trust is working with IMDA and the relevant building managements to resolve the access issues. Once access is granted, provisioning of fibre can proceed.
What can be done to resolve springboarding issues?
NetLink Trust is continuously undertaking efforts to expedite negotiations with individual building management for access to the relevant Main Distribution Frame rooms. Where necessary, NetLink Trust will seek assistance from the authorities. Once access is granted, provisioning of services to the end-user will proceed.
