NEW DELHI: Internet network in some parts of the country was disrupted after cyclone Vardah – that hit Chennai and adjoining regions – caused damage to a critical undersea cable of Bharti Airtel and some other telecom companies and service providers.
While damage to Airtel’s network was significant, there were disruptions in the terrestrial infrastructure of other companies which resulted in a slowdown of internet speeds.
“Due to the severe cyclone at Chennai coast, one of our international undersea cables has been damaged and internet traffic has been partially impacted. As a result, customers in some locations may be experiencing slow internet/data speeds,” a spokesperson for Airtel said.
The company, which also sent advisories to customers over the matter, said its teams are working to normalize the operations at the earliest possible while making alternate arrangements to divert international internet traffic.
A spokesperson for Vodafone also confirmed disruptions in their company’s telecom network. “Cyclone Vardah, which paralyzed Chennai and nearby areas, caused disruption of some of our services as well. Our on-ground teams are working on a war-footing to restore services in the shortest possible time,” S. Murali – Business Head for Vodafone’s Tamil Nadu unit, said.”Almost all services in these locations are almost back to normal, the voice and data services in and around some areas are being progressively restored and we should soon be in back to normalcy,” Vodafone said. “We at Vodafone apologise for the inconveniences being caused to customers due to this force majeure. We are rapidly getting the network back in place.”
A spokesperson for Tata Communications, as well as the company’s PR agency, did not respond to queries over any potential damage to its subsea and terrestrial network due to the cyclone.There were reports of damage to the terrestrial network of Global Cloud Xchange, the undersea arm of Reliance Communications. Repairs have been carried out to contain the disruption and restore normalcy at the earliest.
Sources said that the damage to Airtel’s network has led to disruptions and the company is working on a war-footing to restore the network. The company is also re-routing the traffic on other capacities as it restores the network.
[Source:-TOI]
