DUKE RFID stopped working due to vandalism of TM fiber optic cable, repair work in progress

The RFID payment systems at the DUKE and SPE highways are still down, but highway authorities have updated information on what happened.

According to a new announcement on DUKE’s social media pages, TM’s fiber optic cable providing connectivity to the toll booth was sabotaged.

Since RFID and PayDirect require communication with the Touch n Go eWallet’s servers, connection loss due to a damaged fiber optic cable is the cause of service outages. TM is currently working to restore service.

You can still pass the toll station using your physical Touch n Go card balance by tapping a physical Touch n Go card in Touch n Go lanes or using SmartTAG. Remember to reload your physical card if you want to use DUKE and SPE today because PayDirect doesn’t work.

Perhaps this could be a use case for the much faster 5G technology than 4G LTE – perhaps highway operators should consider a wireless backup for toll stations using 5G connectivity ?