Posted at 10:54 a.m., Tuesday, December 4, 2001

Verizon to further upgrade network

Advertiser Staff

Verizon Communications, which suffered water damage to a cable last week that cut off service to more than 1,800 east Honolulu customers, said today it has invested $92.5 million this year to upgrade its Hawai'i network.

The company said that, among the steps it has taken this year, it upgraded an air-pressure system to pump air through cables to keep moisture out and prevent service problems.

"With this system, loss of air pressure can be detected immediately and repaired before water damages the wires in the cable," the statement said.

Verizon Hawai'i spokeswoman Ann Nishida said last week's storm dumped an abnormal amount of rain on O'ahu and that led to the service interruption. The air pressure system will prevent damage under normal weather conditions, she said.