Cable & Wireless (WI) Ltd is celebrating its network’s capacity to be resilient in times of storm. Digicel, Cable & Wireless’ main competitor recently saw disruption to its network and was unable to provide service in some areas of St.Vincent and the Grenadines from August 17-18, 2007, during the passage of tropical storm Dean.{{more}}

Business Continuity Manager, Hannif Sutherland, told SEARCHLIGHT that Cable & Wireless’ network proved more resilient because the telecommunications giant uses a lot of fibre optic technology.

Sutherland made reference to the creation of his post as testimony that his company is making a big effort to guarantee its customers a service that is available whenever they need it.

According to Sutherland, several factors contributed to Cable & Wireless’ network being able to withstand tropical storm Dean.

“We proactively monitor our network and we do routine searches to ensure our towers are in top condition,” Sutherland explained.

He added: “This is an ongoing process even out of the hurricane season. Secondly, a lot of the equipment is redundant, meaning we have a lot of back up systems in place so that if the site loses power or the main system goes down, we have sites in place that automatically take over so that our customers don’t even know something is wrong.”

Sutherland said when this happens, Cable & Wireless’ engineers are alerted immediately. He said, as the alerts come in, the engineers are able to prioritise which ones need urgent attention.

He said the same standards that are set for the mobile network are used for the fixed lines, Internet and data.

“Because telecommunications is key to national security all our facilities are built to withstand a category five hurricane,” Sutherland emphasized.

At present, Cable & Wireless main technical facility at Arnos Vale is being rebuilt as a concrete bunker.

“In times of disaster where reliable communication is important to make critical decisions, Cable & Wireless, as a network provider is ready to meet and exceed our customers needs,” Sutherland outlined.

SEARCHLIGHT made several attempts to contact Digicel’s public relations officer with regard to the failed network but to no avail.

Besides St.Vincent and the Grenadines, Digicel encountered network problems in St.Lucia and Dominica. (HN)