Communication with Christchurch difficult

UPDATE TelstraClear announced today that three of their generators had been stolen. 

Power remains the main issue for the network with 40 cabinets without power or on back-up and 20 running on generators.  The company is working to source more generators, particularly in light of the theft.  115 have been connected to mains power and this number is expected to rise with as the power-network is re-established.

The priority on restoring  cabinets remains cabinets supporting key services and businesses and residential  cabinets supporting customers on our medical registry first,  and then  other residential cabinets    

About 16,000 customers on the HFC network remain without services, mainly  due to power outages.  Telecom said in statement this morning that they too were having continuing power issues, as well as physical disruption caused by the earthquake.

The company has delivered 33 generators from all over New Zealand to the city with the help of the New Zealand Air Force and remains focussed on restoring and maintaining central city cell sites.  All operational sites are running on generators.

Telecom said it has had over 10,000 calls being made from its 260 free payphones around Christchurch and the company has seen a good response to the analogue phone campaign, where any spare analogue phones (phones that plug straight into the phone-jack) are dropped off at Telecom stores all over New Zealand by the public.

Three free WiFi spots remain open in Christchurch, at Telecom Riccarton Mall, Cafe Zero (Cashmere Rd) and the Westpac Centre (Addington).

Chorus is asking customers experiencing issues with their internet or phone services to log the fault with their service providers directly, to allow them to ascertain the true extent of network damage.

Advice remains to limit calls to and from Christchurch to emergencies, and for Christchurch residents to change their answer phone message to include details such as date, time, location and alternative contacts if possible, in case phone batteries run flat.

10:42am 23/02:  After being reported as temporarily unavailable yesterday, the emergency 111 number is stable and available.  If people are unable to get through it was likely to be due to damage or congestion, and people should try calling again.  111 calls are being prioritised. 

A press release yesterday said the Chirstchurch call centre had been evacuated and calls diverted to Wellington and a site in Palmerston North was on stand by if necessary.  Media contact Mark Watts said the reports of 111 not working were wrong.  See our story for further details. 

Much of the network is running off back up power but has proven resilient overnight, Telecom said this morning.  Efforts have been focussed on maintaining central city cell sites so that those trapped in the rubble can use their cell phones to contact rescuers.  All operational sites have been connected to generators.  More sites are likely to go down as back-up power runs out but congestion has improved as people heed calls about only making emergency calls.  Telecom has deployed two COW (Cell Sites on Wheels) to critical areas toboost mobile coverage and is looking to deploy additional COWs
from around the country and technicians from around New Zealand to restore telecommunication servies in Canterbury, it said.

Wireless phones will not be working in homes with no power, since the bases require a power supply.  However Telecom has advised that analogue non-wireless landliens will work.  Telecom has also announced it will offer free calling for local, national and mobile calls from 280 payphones in and around Christchurch starting from 3am tomorrow morning.

2degrees last night warned customers to expect a loss of service has many of their cell sites were operating off battery power.  Director of Corporate Affairs Matthew Bollard said today that they had indeed had parts of the network lose power as the cell towers' batteries ran down, but that more than half the network had power.  He said 2degrees focus today was on installing generators to those sites that needed power.  Yesterday 2degrees had three cell sites not carrying any cellular traffic.  Mr Bollard said while congestion is better, the company is asking people to keep calls to a minimum.

TelstraClear's Christchurch call centre has been evacuated meaning customers trying to call may experience delays.  Around 25,000 cable modem customers are without services because of loss of electricity and customers are advised to use corded phones to get voice services.  TelstraClear has set up two hardship lines for Christchurch and wider Canterbury customers. Residential customers requiring special assistance, such as free landline to mobile call diversions, can call 0508 24 24 11. Business customers can call 0508 24 24 12 should they need assistance with their services.

 Vodafone is still experiencing heavy congestion, and has several sites that are off-air due to an exhaustion of power, with many others operating on back up batteries.  Portable generators and mobile cell sites were on their way to Christchurch this morning.  Its main core network remains operational with power expected to be returned to the west of the CBD tonight, but no time frame was available for eastern parts due to damage to the infrastructure.  Customers are recommended to use text first and only use voice calls in an emergency to save battery and reduce capacity on the network.

Concerned callers are finding it harder and harder to reach people in Christchurch via phone and telcos are asking people to make only emergency calls and texts in the aftermath of the 6.3 magnitude Christchurch earthquake that hit at 12:51pm.

Telecom said some of its network sites are not working properly and others are operating on back up battery power. Reports are that eight towers are down in the city.

TelstraClear’s core infrastructure in Canterbury is operating but it has 100 cabinets running on backup power due to widespread power outages. Voice services are still operating except where this is damage to phone lines, houses or where power has been cut. They said around half their modem cable customers are without service, possibly due to loss of power or damage.

71 of the 98 2degrees cellsites are without power but running on battery back up.  The switch (controlling traffic) is on generator power and their network is operating for calls.  In addition, no 2degrees’ staff have been injured in the quake.

Vodafone’s core network is functioning as per normal, although it says there is sustained damage to about eight sites and has a large number running on battery. The network is heavily congested.