Globe service restoration in Visayas underway; Iloilo, Roxas now up
Globe Telecom said on Saturday that restoration of its communication services is now underway in areas severely affected by Typhoon Yolanda. In fact, communication services are now up in two key areas namely Iloilo and Roxas City following service disruption on Friday as the super typhoon wrought havoc in the area. More details after the jump.
Service restoration in areas hard hit by the weather anomaly is expected within a 48-hour period, Yoly Crisanto, Globe Head of Corporate Communications, said.
According to Crisanto, back-up power facilities have been fully utilized in the company's major regional exchange centers.
“We have activated our Disaster Coordination Center in Lahug and our Regional Operations Center to expedite restoration efforts in the Visayas region. Globe technical teams in the region continue to do coordination, monitoring and site assessments in the affected areas,” Crisanto said.
As of 12nn Saturday, damage assessment revealed that about 53% of the Globe network in the Visayas region have been adversely affected by Typhoon Yolanda.
Service areas affected include those in Aklan, Antique, Biliran, Bohol, Capiz, Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Leyte, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Northern Samar, Siquijor, Southern Leyte and Western Samar.
Crisanto said service disruption in the Visayas region was due mostly to multiple transmission link failures and prolonged commercial power outages following storm surges and strong winds brought by the super typhoon.
Still, voice, text and data services in large part of the following areas are now available: Antique – 45%, Bohol – 64%, Cebu – 60%, Guimaras-88%, Iloilo-64%, Negro Occidental-70%, Negros Oriental-87%, Northern Samar-8%, Southern Leyte-28%, Siquijor-100% and Western Samar-2%.
Libreng Charging Stations set-up
Globe has also authorized the use of all its manned cell sites in Bohol, Samar and Leyte as free charging stations since there is no electricity yet in the two provinces after Typhoon Yolanda wreaked havoc in the Visayas region.
The facilities are being powered by heavy-duty generator sets which can easily accommodate the charging of mobile phones. The generator sets, incidentally, are part of the service restoration efforts currently being undertaken by Globe in the affected areas.
Without electricity, the residents are practically cut off from their friends and relatives since they could not use their cellular phones which are their main means of communication.
Globe is also coordinating with its teams in the affected areas for the setting up of Libreng Tawag stations and the provision of relief operations.
Source: Globe Telecom
No comments: