(Friday, Oct 2) BTC’s Command Center remains open at its National Network Operations Center as it continues to monitor the effects of Hurricane Joaquin.
BTC advises there are service disruptions in some areas as a result of this Category 4 system. Our technical teams are remotely assessing the extent of the disruptions. Once the all clear has been issued, our technical teams will be on the ground to begin service restorations.
We are reporting landline, internet and mobile outages in the following locations due to commercial power failure. Islands impacted are the Southeastern Islands (which includes Acklins, Rum Cay, Crooked Island, Ragged Island, Mayaguana, Inagua, Rum Cay and Long Cay).
Though commercial connectivity has been lost in some pockets in the South East islands due to power outages, BTC remains in contact with its Family Island management teams via satellite phones.
All of BTC’s offices closed at 12noon today as Hurricane Joaquin continues to move through the Central Bahamas.
The Company remains committed to keeping the entire country connected. We ask the public to report any additional concerns or issues directly to BTC, by calling us toll free at CALL-BTC or 225-5282. Customers may also reach out to us on social media.
FIRST UPDATE:
BTC’s Command Center is opened at its National Network
Operations Center where it is currently monitoring Hurricane Joaquin. BTC
advises that it remains in contact with all of the Family Islands. Reports from
our Family Islands indicate that services have not been affected in most areas,
at this time.
However, due to commercial power failure on some islands, there
are minor outages in several areas which are actively being addressed by our
technical teams. These areas include:
- Williams Town, Exuma where there is a
mobile outage and our technical teams are en-route to the mobile site to
make the necessary repairs. We intend to have services restored within the
hour.
- Landline and internet services are
affected in the Sandy Point, San-Salvador community due to a loss of
commercial power last evening.
- There is also a small mobile outage in the
Pompey Bay and Spring Point areas of Acklins.
Our team is assessing the damage in both San Salvador and
Acklins Islands and will make the necessary repairs once the all clear is
provided.
The Company through its business continuity efforts, makes
preparations for the Hurricane Season year round. These preparations include
providing satellite phones in the Family Islands. Last year, BTC also deployed
fuel cells in New Providence and the Family Islands. Fuel cells add an
additional layer of redundancy in the event of the loss of commercial power. In
parts of Long Island and Acklins, BTC has several fuel cells supporting both
fixed line and mobile services. As a result, they will not likely suffer
from any loss in services as a result of a loss of commercial power. BTC also
opened a new Multi Switching Center (MSC) in Grand Bahama to mitigate any
disruptions in service at the main switching center in New Providence. In the
event of failure in New Providence, the Grand Bahama network will be
operational.
BTC continues to monitor Hurricane Joaquin and will keep the
public updated regularly via the major news carriers and on its social media
pages. The Company is working diligently to maintain connectivity during the
storm. We are asking the public to report any additional concerns or issues
directly to BTC, by calling us toll free at CALL-BTC or 225-5282. Customers may
also reach out to us on social media.
