The local telecommunication services providers, FLOW and Digicel, will be engaged during the weekend of August 18th through August 21st, in carrying out work on the subsea fiber cable in Crocus Bay in order to reinforce it –more securely – in light of the upcoming brunt of the hurricane season. The cable was damaged in February when an anchor, dropping from a mega-yacht, accidentally impacted it.
In an official statement, FLOW said: “We are putting additional connectivity measures in place to minimize any disruption to service during this maintenance period while work progresses to secure the cable. It is anticipated that there may be some disruptions to calls between FLOW and Digicel customers during this period. However, we will provide timely updates via radio and social media.
FLOW said that is continuing to invest in its network infrastructure to ensure that its customers have the best quality of services and to strengthen its network’s resilience for the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.
In a notice to its customers, Digicel said: “We are working with our partners to complete the preparation of our network for the hurricane season, and beyond, via the network maintenance on the subsea fiber cable. This work will involve carrying out a permanent fix on top of the temporary repair to the cable that was done in February. It is important that this work is carried out now to mitigate against any further damage during the passage of any pending weather disturbance…”
Digicel continued to say: “To support your connectivity needs, we have implemented multiple solutions to ensure your Digicel experience remains smooth and reliable. Our network is well prepared to handle your full demands, surpassing what you typically require…”
However, Digicel cautions its customers that there may be some internet disruptions or reduction in internet speed if there are periods of inclement weather during the time that the maintenance work is undertaken.
A meeting was held the Ministry of Infrastructure on Thursday morning, August 17th, in order to provide a briefing for the 4-day reinforcement work to be undertaken.
FLOW’s Network Operations Lead, Mr. Lawrence Stott, said: “We anticipate that the weekend work on the cable will be as seamless as possible. However, with these kinds of difficult processes, there may be occasional interruptions to services. In any case, though, these will be at a minimum. We would therefore encourage the public to be patient and to understand that ultimately this repair will provide very good resilience for the networks with a cable that would remain viable for the next 20 to 30 years.”
Digicel’s Head of Consumer Services, Mr. Keithroy Proctor, said: “Since customer experience is paramount for us at Digicel, we have taken the steps to prepare for this reinforcement work with a minimum of disruptions.”
The company’s Technical Manager, Mr. Justin Cipriani, said: “We have prepared multiple solutions for resiliency, so we do expect our services to remain up and reliable. We expect a smooth transition in going across to the new links. We do not foresee any significant impacts due to the maintenance work that will be carried out.”
He said that Digicel would have a team dedicated to monitoring and prioritizing traffic as the demand grows. He affirmed that this team will ensure that service is kept to a proper level for everyone during the window of work.
