3,300 still lack dial tone after rains

By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer

Verizon Hawaii technicians are working around the clock to restore telephone service to 3,300 customers statewide.

They had to wait until yesterday to work on the disruption, caused by heavy rains, to allow individual cable lines to dry out, said Verizon spokesman Bill Kula from Irving, Texas.

Verizon expects to have service restored to most customers by tomorrow, Kula said, adding, "We appreciate the patience our customers have already displayed."

More than 88 percent of the customers without service are on O'ahu, and 'Aiea is the area most affected, with 500 customers, according to Kula. Maui and the Big Island also reported service disruptions.

"We had an inordinate amount of water covering our equipment," Kula said.

Repair work involves opening cable sheaths containing 1,200 to 2,000 "pair," whisper-thin strands of fiber assigned to individual telephone numbers, Kula said.

"When water gets into the sheaths, we have to repair each individual pair one at a time. That process is what takes time to complete.

"Our priority one is to create temporary fixes so our customers have a local dial tone," he said. "Our second priority is to do preventive maintenance."

Verizon is in the process of replacing paper-wrapped cable lines with plastic wraps more effective against water-related problems, Kula said.

Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.