Port Blair, May 21, 2020: All major communication links between Port Blair and Kolkata were interrupted due to the damage caused by super cyclone AMPHAN on 20 May 2020 said a press release from BSNL, Andaman & Nicobar Telecom Circle.
Satellite links from Port Blair Telephone Exchange to Kolkata Telephone Exchange is through ISROs satellites. The satellite links at Kolkata are connected through Kulpi Earth station.
The Optical Fibre Links connected to Kolkata Telephone Exchange via satellite earth station at Kulpi are extensively damaged at several locations along with acute power failures at transmission hubs along the route which is around 30 km apart. The Eastern Telecom Region wing of BSNL at Kolkata has begun the restoration work from early morning of 21 May 2020.
As the roads are having several hindrances due to blockage caused by debris thrown by cyclone hence the restoration takes time. However, local calls to & from landline as well as to and from mobile are working, though mobile data will be available intermittently based on the link ups-and-downs. The inconvenience caused is regretted. BSNL is putting all efforts in restoring the satellite links as early as possible, a communication from BSNL said here today.
So when optical fibre is going launch
And
When bsnl will restore all the problems