Taiwan earthquake causes internet problems in Thailand

The earthquake off Taiwan has damaged undersea cables causing disruption to telecommunications throughout Asia, including internet access in Thailand, according to breaking news in today's BKK Post.
For the full story see : http://www.bangkokpost.net/breaking_new ... ?id=115513 (http://www.bangkokpost.net/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=115513)

The BKK Post also says:-

NOTE: During the current Internet problems, readers in Thailand can access the Bangkok Post website more quickly and efficiently by using the Thailand-based server at:

http://www.bangkokpost.co.th

Thailand Internet still mostly out
(28 December at 1930 hrs Thai time)

(BKK Post and Agencies)

Internet users in Thailand were able to access some websites today, but around 70 per cent of Net subscribers were without access for the second day, monopoly bandwidth provider CAT Telecom Public Company Ltd said. They and millions of other people across Asia suffered a second straight day without full Internet service on Thursday as telecoms operators raced to counter predictions of weeks without web access.

At least eight boats headed to the waters between Hong Kong and Taiwan so that repairmen could tackle the complicated task of fixing underwater fibre-optic cables damaged in a huge earthquake off Taiwan on Tuesday.

Although stock markets across the region functioned normally, access to overseas websites remained spotty, as did the ability to dial telephone numbers in the United States and across Southeast Asia. "Our system is gradually recovering," leading Japanese long-distance provider NTT Communications, said in a statement, explaining that it had re-routed much of its data transmission away from the troubled Taiwan route. "However, for certain customers it will take a longer time for full restoration as it may require a complete reinstallation of cables."

Telecommunications operators in Taiwan and Hong Kong warned that although service would be gradually restored thanks to such re-routing of networks, fixing the widespread problems could take as long as three weeks.
Taiwan's largest phone company, Chunghwa Telecom, has contracted three boats from Britain, Japan and Singapore to take workers to the zone, said deputy general managed Lin Ren-hung.

Efforts would be made to divert Internet connections with the support of foreign service providers until the ruptured cables could be repaired, he added.


More on this at:
http://www.bangkokpost.net/breaking_new ... ?id=115545 (http://www.bangkokpost.net/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=115545)

I'm accessing the internet with no problems this evening. Perhaps a bit slower than usual, but definitely not a complete blackout (or I wouldn't be posting this).