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SMS, long-distance, and prepaid service recovered
CNMI Internet-blackout continues
IT&E’s SMS, long-distance, and prepaid service were recovered yesterday, as the CNMI remained plunged for a second day in the Internet-blackout caused by damage to an IT&E undersea fiber optic cable between Saipan and Tinian.
Near press time yesterday, IT&E Sales and Marketing manager Hanz Mickelson said SMS service was back up for all three islands but only in the IT&E network, not any other carrier.
Mickelson also said their prepaid network was up. “And we are giving that to our prepaid users for free within the network,” he said.
Mickelson said they are working “diligently” on their microwave redundancy system, described by IT&E officials on Wednesday as the back up for the downed fiber optic cable. IT&E said earlier that Typhoon Dolphin damaged this back up system.
Mickelson said they were working all day on this yesterday. He described the system as four “huge” dishes, 15 feet across, adding it was a “very dicey” operation.
Typhoon Nangka passed through the CNMI yesterday leaving strong winds and rain.
“At the same time, we are looking at the bigger problem which is the fiber optic undersea cable,” Mickelson said.” We are looking at that to see where it has been cut.”
He said, according to their technical crews, the “cut” in the fiber optic cable appears to be in the waters off Tinian.
IT&E announced at 8:40am yesterday that technicians had brought long distance calls on landline back to normal. On Tinian and Rota, 4G/CDMA/GSM for voice calls only were working. They announced later in the afternoon that mobile data for 4G and CDMA service were working.
As of press time, all Internet services remained down.
