BY RODRICK DESURI
AUKI
Telecommunications services in Auki were disrupted for more than a day after an Our Telekom fiber-optic cable linking Malaita to the submarine cable network was damaged on Thursday, June 4.
The outage affected residents, businesses and essential services across Auki throughout Friday, leaving many unable to make calls, send messages or access internet services.
In a statement issued yesterday, Our Telekom confirmed that the disruption was caused by damage to the fiber cable near the submarine cable landing station.
“Telekom services in Malaita are currently down due to road contractor damage to the Telekom cable connecting the submarine cable landing station.
“Engineers are working on reconnecting the damaged fiber cable. We will advise when services are restored,” the company said.
Telecommunications services were restored at approximately 4:30pm on Friday, June 5.
The outage caused widespread frustration among residents and businesses, highlighting the community’s growing dependence on digital communication.
Rebecca Awa of the Malaita Council of Women said the disruption significantly affected both professional and personal activities.
“The outage disrupted our work and delayed many tasks. With the way we now rely on technology for communication and daily operations, it slowed down our progress.
“Generally, we were unable to carry out and complete many of the activities planned for the day,” Ms Awa said.
The disruption also affected communication with family members and business partners, leaving many residents isolated for several hours.
It is understood that state-owned enterprises, including Solomon Water and Solomon Power, could continue to face challenges as work on the Auki Road rehabilitation project progresses.
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