Ulysses cuts fiber lines, disrupts telecom services in parts of Luzon

MANILA, Philippines – Telecommunication giants in the country on Thursday advised the public that its services in some parts of Luzon were disrupted by the Typhoon Ulysses.
In an advisory, Globe Telecom said its services in Camarines Sur and Pampanga have been “heavily affected.”
It explained that Ulysses’ strong winds caused “multiple fiber cuts” in North and South Luzon and one fiber cut incident in the National Capital Region (NCR).
The firm, however, assured that its network “remains stable with no major damages incurred.”
It also reported that some areas in Metro Manila are experiencing intermittent to no signal due to prolonged power outage.
“Clean energy fuel cells and generators deployed are powering up our cellsites given the current power challenges,” it said.
The telco likewise assured that repairs in flooded areas will resume once the situation is safe.
“We will continue to provide service updates to our customers, while repairs for areas flooded will resume as soon as access and safety is secured,” it said.
PLDT and Smart Communications Inc., for its part, said its customers in Las Piñas, Marikina, Parañaque, and Rizal may experience connectivity issues because of power interruptions.
“PLDT and Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) assure the public that it is monitoring the situation and will restore affected services once safe,” it said in an advisory.
The telco also offered to provide free data and calls, as well as cellphone charging services, to affected customers in Luzon.
“We are likewise ready to provide Libreng Tawag, Libreng Charging, and Libreng Wifi services in hardest-hit areas after the storm passes,” it said.