Internet users in Asia slowly coming back online
By Tony White,WNS Asia Bureau Chief
BEIJING - Millions of frustrated Internet users across Asia slowly regained access to overseas websites on Friday, three days after an earthquake off the coast of Taiwan snapped several vital undersea cables. Telecoms operators across the region re-routed Internet links to circumvent the ruptured lines off the southern part of the island, as engineers donned diving suits to assess the damage and begin repairs. "Everything is improving now," said a spokesman for PCCW, Hong Kong's largest fixed-line operator. "All international call and roaming services have gone back to normal, including to Taiwan, although some websites are still congested," he said.
Hong Kong's telecommunications authority said five maintenance ships had been dispatched to repair six fibre-optic cables, which handle about 90 percent of telecommunications capacity in the area. "Overall there has been some improvement in access to the Internet today. However, most users will continue to experience slow access," it said in a statement. It added some ships arrived at the scene Thursday, but the weather had obstructed survey and assessment work. "Initial surveys indicated that damage to the submarine cables was substantial," it said. The authority said it may take longer to repair the cables than the original estimate of five to seven days. Taiwan's largest phone company, Chunghwa Telecom, has commissioned three more ships to assist the repair effort.
The cables ruptured following Tuesday's 7.1-magnitude earthquake, which killed two people on the island. An official from Chunghwa said voice traffic to the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia remained relatively weak, but was improving. Internet users frustrated by their inability to log onto e-mail accounts, news websites and online banking services -- conveniences that have become part of modern life -- found access across the region Friday improved, but still patchy.
posted by wnsworld @ 11:19 PM
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