The largest Philippine telecommunications, internet and digital service company, PLDT, said at least 75% of its consumers under its fixed-line service in Negros are now online, 18 days after super typhoon Odette disrupted connectivity.
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The telecom company in an email to Negros News Online said that over 90% of nodes are now up, and only 6% of its consumers are facing individual fiber cuts going to their homes.
Its 3-party contractor, FiberHome, in a Facebook post said it is hiring additional linemen and splicers for deployment in Negros island.
PLDT hopes to fully restore its services in the province in the next 2-3 weeks, but due to the unavailability of commercial power in some areas, at least 19% of its subscribers are still offline.
On January 1, the group has fully restored services in the provinces of Antique, Iloilo, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Western Samar in the Visayas and in Agusan del Norte and Camiguin in Mindanao.
PLDT and Smart technical teams have been working around the clock to repair downed sites in areas severely impacted by the typhoon. The group has, likewise, ramped up restoration activities in Palawan, Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Dinagat Islands, Misamis Oriental and Surigao provinces.
But due to the massive damage inflicted by Odette on public utilities and major infrastructure including roads, customers in areas where services have been restored may experience service quality issues due to the lack of available commercial power and accidental cuts during road clearing activities that damage lines leading to individual homes.
Meanwhile, the newest telecommunication provider Dito in an advisory said that its services in Negros island are still unavailable.
It however assures its subscribers that their teams are continuously working on bringing back its services as soon as possible. Dito in a meeting with the local government of Bacolod said it faces connectivity issues due to damage in its Dumaguete-Cebu submarine cable.
