MTN trying to restore connectivity to Knysna
The region was experiencing intermittent service disruptions due to powerlines that were damaged by strong winds.
Remnants of the devastation caused by the raging Knysna fires.
MTN has successfully restored connectivity to large parts of Knysna, in the Western Cape, following a devastating fire that has raged through the region, Knysna Plett Herald reports.
Many people in Knysna have had no cellphone connection, and have needed to use WiFi, including the media teams down there.
MTN engineers and support partners worked throughout the night to restore connectivity, while engineers were on site in Cape Town to recharge the backup batteries that power affected sites. Of the 255 sites that were down yesterday evening in the Knysna area, 241 are now active and engineers are working fervently to restore the remaining 14 inactive sites.
“The runaway fires damaged fibre networks, infrastructure and communication equipment. As a result, our engineers are rerouting the traffic to enable residents to have access to voice and data services and facilitate access between residents and the disaster management team,” says Giovanni Chiarelli, MTN SA’s chief technology and information officer.
READ MORE: LIVE: Five confirmed dead in Knysna fires
“I am gratified with the dedication of our engineers who toiled under very difficult circumstances throughout the night to open the lines of communication. We are working with emergency services in the area to ensure that we do everything we can to assist in this time of need,” he adds.
“MTN dispatched a team from Johannesburg to the Western Cape in order to provide additional support. The service provider company indicated it is aware that some of its customers in Cape Town and Eastern Cape are experiencing intermittent service disruptions due to power lines that were damaged by strong winds yesterday. Our engineers are on site,” says Chiarelli.
MTN will continue to provide the residents with an update during the course of the day on the progress made.
READ MORE:
Fire death toll rises while blazes contained in Knysna, Sedgefield, Bitou and George
– Caxton News Service
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