Verizon makes cable upgrades

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 yesterday it has invested $92.5 million this year to upgrade its Hawai'i network.

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