Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne says the country’s disrupted telephone and internet communication networks will be fully restored by tomorrow (04). Sri Lanka Latest News
He noted that the Ministry of Digital Economy, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, and all telecommunications companies are working tirelessly to achieve this.
Issuing further comments, the Deputy Minister said:
The fiber network with provincial connections had been disconnected in 11 locations due to landslides and floods. Of these, repairs were completed in 09 locations within 24 hours with the direct intervention of the Ministry. At present, telecommunications operations have been restored by reconnecting all provinces. Except for a few intermediate locations, communication services are functioning through the fiber network in all other areas.
More than 4,000 main transmission towers went out of service due to power outages and fiber connectivity failures caused by floods and landslides. So far, around 2,800 towers have been restored to operational status. Of the remaining 949, a total of 104 towers remain non-operational due to power outages. Telecommunications institutions are working rapidly to restore all remaining sites.
The tri-forces are providing maximum support to access telecom towers quickly and supply the necessary electrical facilities. Although the public could not connect to the telephone network immediately after the disaster on November 28, the required technology was prepared to enable SMS messaging. However, it was not needed on the 29th, as a significant number of fiber connections had been restored by then.
Currently, issues remain in Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Puttalam, and Vavuniya. Among these areas, Nuwara Eliya and Kandy continue to experience significant difficulties. However, by tomorrow morning, more than 75% of the connections in the Nuwara Eliya and Puttalam districts are expected to be restored. The current 65% connectivity in Kandy is also expected to increase to 70% by tomorrow morning.
Communication is essential for people to maintain contact with their relatives and friends and to stay informed. At present, more than 80% of services have been restored. The Deputy Minister expressed confidence that the full network will be restored by the day after tomorrow.
