The Tribune

THE BAHAMAS Telecommunications Company (BTC) says it fell victim to “an act of sabotage” that knocked out all mobile, Internet and landline services to North Eleuthera customers on Friday.

The carrier, in a statement, gave no details on the nature of this “sabotage” other than to say it had impacted key network infrastructure and the Royal Bahamas Police Force was conducting a full investigation.

BTC said its technical teams on Friday were “working to assess the damage and restore services as quickly as possible”. The carrier’s legacy network has, in the past, been struck by repeated copper theft that has temporarily knocked-out its communications services.

“We condemn any unlawful actions that disrupt critical telecommunications services relied on by residents and businesses,” BTC said. “We appreciate our customers’ patience as we work to resolve this issue. Updates will be provided on BTC’s social media channels as more information becomes available. We remain committed to delivering reliable communications services across The Bahamas.”

Elsewhere, BTC’s immediate parent, Cable & Wireless Communications (C&C), affirmed that it is prepared across all the territories in which it operates for a busier-than-normal Atlantic hurricane season.

“We have been operating in the Caribbean for more than a century and we have that experience, we are well equipped, and we stand ready to respond to any eventuality. Over the last few weeks our teams have been conducting simulation exercises and strengthening the networks, so we are once again leaving nothing to chance,” said Inge Smidts, C&W’s chief executive.

The US National Hurricane Centre’s (NHC) outlook for the season, which spans from June 1 to November 30, predicts an 85 percent chance of an above-normal season, a 10 percent chance of a near-normal season and a 5 percent chance of a below-normal season, with between 17 to 25 total named storms with winds of 39 miles per hour or higher.

C&W Communications said it has been invest- ing in robust network infrastructure and redundancy measures to ensure the resilience of its telecommunications networks during extreme weather conditions. This includes the deployment of back-up power systems, hardened network facilities and strategic network routing to mitigate the impact of service disruptions.

“As the leading telecoms provider in the Caribbean, we know our communities are depending on the connections we provide, especially during those critical moments, so our priority is to safeguard the connectivity of our customers and support the resilience of the communities we serve,” added Ms Smidts.

“We remain committed to delivering reliable communication services and standing by our customers during times of need. While we are hopeful that no customers will be impacted during this year’s hurricane season, we must also ensure that we are ready to face that reality and we are prepared to respond.”