One Communications says a fibre cable damaged during construction work on Carifesta Avenue caused Wednesday’s disruption to its mobile data and fibre internet services. 

In a statement issued yesterday, the company said contractors working for a private company unconnected to One Communications damaged a critical section of its fibre network at about 3.16 pm on Wednesday, September 23.

Technical teams began restoration work after the damage was identified and rerouted network traffic to reduce the effect on customers, the company said. Services resumed at reduced capacity approximately one hour after the incident, and what the company described as temporary full restoration was achieved at 12.05 am yesterday.

The damaged cable remains in a temporary configuration. One Communications said its engineers were assessing the best time to make a permanent repair while minimising any further disruption to customers and businesses. It did not give a date for that work.

The company said telecommunications infrastructure supports personal communications, businesses, financial services, healthcare, education, government operations and emergency communications. Protecting it was therefore important to public safety, economic stability and national resilience, it added.

Chief Executive Officer Abraham Smith thanked the Office of the Prime Minister, the Telecommunications Agency and Minister Juan Edghill for their support during the restoration effort. He also thanked the company’s engineers, technicians and operations teams, who he said worked through the night to restore service as quickly and safely as possible.

Community and Government Relations Manager Jasmin Harris said the company’s network extended across Guyana, with infrastructure both above and below ground. Damage to those facilities could disrupt service for thousands of customers, she said.

Harris urged contractors, developers and anyone planning excavation or construction work to contact One Communications beforehand so that its assets could be identified and protected. The company said enquiries about the location of its infrastructure and planned works could be sent to [email protected]@onecommgroup.com or made by calling 0777.