DBS Bank, AXS affected by fire at SingTel building

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http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/dbs-starhub-affected-singtel-internet-exchange-fibre-20131009

DBS Bank's ATM network and StarHub's broadband and cable TV services were disrupted on Wednesday after a fire broke out at a SingTel Internet exchange building in Bukit Panjang.

The internet service provider wrote on its Twitter around 3.40pm on Wednesday that some fixed line voice, broadband and mobile services "may (be) affected", and that it was "working to restore service (as soon as possible)".

A spokesman for the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it had been alerted to the fire at 40 Woodlands Road at 2.16pm. The fire, which had been "inside the cable room at level one of the building", was extinguished within 20 minutes of the SCDF's arrival using two jets, she added. About 50 people had already evacuated themselves prior to the SCDF's arrival. There were no reported injuries.

A total of 18 out of the bank's more than 80 banking branches and ATMs could not be connected to the Internet.

To help customers, the bank is extending its banking hours by one hour today at all branches, DBS said in a statement. The affected DBS and POSB branches are at Changi Airport, Tampines East, Toa Payoh Central, Woodlands West, Ang Mo Kio Central and Ngee Ann City, among others.

In a statement, Mr Mock Pak Lum, StarHub's Chief Technology Officer, said: "We have been informed that there was a fire at SingTel's Bukit Panjang exchange. As we lease some SingTel optical fibre capacity that runs through this exchange, this has affected StarHub's cable TV, cable and fibre broadband, and digital voice services for some of our customers. We are monitoring the situation closely and working to restore services as soon as we can."

About a quarter of all AXS terminals across the island were also down as of 5.30pm, said an AXS spokesman. He added that for AXS customers, 640 machines are still in operation, and its internet and mobile app services are still up. AXS is working with SingTel to restore service to its terminals.