IMPLICATIONS FOR THOSE IN NEED OF URGENT HELP
For those unfortunate enough to face a health or safety crisis during the outage, the option of using SMS to call for help may not be optimal or useful should the luxury of typing out a message not be afforded to them.
Having personally witnessed someone who had collapsed by the side of the road in the midst of the Singtel disruption, I was heartened to see ambulance services already on the scene. But I wondered how long it had taken for it to arrive, and how many other individuals in dire need of assistance were not as lucky.
It is still too early to know the causes of the outage and how long the effects will be felt, but a full investigation can be expected.
We in Singapore often grow complacent because of the rarity of such incidents, and the efficiency and efficacy of various public services and utilities we enjoy on a regular basis.
The latest outage is a good reminder for us not to take such things for granted, and for service providers to build in redundancies and contingency plans to ensure that any lasting and significant impacts are minimised for the society as a whole.
Nicholas Fang is a former Nominated Member of Parliament and journalist, and a strategic communications specialist. He is also director for security and global affairs at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs.
