Power cuts start to hit telecoms sector
The mobile operators said that while they have battery backup and generators in place to avert downtime due to prolonged power outages, it is a costly affair and areas which rely on Microcells may be adversely affected by Eskom’s load shedding.
Cell C said that the costs due to power outages are in the region of R1,500 per day per site, and in 2007 their cost was in excess of R2,000,000.
Telkom customers are also starting to feel the impact of power outages – not because of problems with Telkom’s core infrastructure but rather due to Customer Premises Equipment powered by Eskom power.
Nabintu Petsana, Telkom’s acting Group Executive for Corporate Communication, said that the company’s core plant remains largely unaffected by the outages, owing to Telkom’s extensive backup power generation capability.
“Appropriate contingency measures are also in place to ensure the quality of our service delivery. In particular, Telkom is assisting emergency services, where possible, to ensure uninterrupted service to the country,” said Petsana.
Telkom said that most of their customers experiencing problems are those whose services are dependent on Customer Premises Equipment (such as telephones, modems, PABXs, etc) which are powered from a customer’s home or business.
“In these instances a lack of emergency standby power generation within customer premises is the primary cause of service interruptions,” said Petsana.
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