PHILIPSBURG:--- With the weekend announcement that more businesses will be opening this week and also more traffic expected on the roads, TelEm Group’s Outside Plant (OSP) is busy completing underground cable repair works in the St. Peters and Retreat Estate areas before a full lifting of the Coronavirus lockdown is announced.
According to TelEm Group Acting Manager, Outside Plant (OSP), Mr. Steve Simmons, the works started two weeks ago at several different locations, making use of reduced traffic and pedestrians in these areas.
“The race is on this coming week to complete the repairs and restore the excavated areas before freedom of movement of pedestrians and vehicles makes the repair works more difficult or cause congestions,” said Mr. Simmons.
He said the works resume Monday, with some preparatory work and movement of equipment and machinery back to the various locations following a break at the weekend. The technicians and sub-contractors return to full repair and upgrade mode from Tuesday, May 12, 2020, until Sunday, May 18, 2020. The schedule of works includes:
St. Peters Hill
May 12 and 13, 2020 From 7:00am to 2:00pm
St. Peters and Retreat Estate
May 15, 2020 From 7:00am to 2:00pm 8:00 pm.
Mr. Simmons says the Primary cables feeding these areas will be repaired in a major upgrading that will result in better connections and improved service for customers in the above-mentioned and surrounding areas.
Residential and business customers can expect intermitted interruptions to their internet and landline services from Monday through to Sunday of this week as a result.
“We apologize for the inconvenience as we continue to upgrade and improve the telecommunication experience of TelEm Group customers,” said Mr. Simmons.
The Acting Manager, OSP, said the works are taking longer than originally expected after locating additional damaged telecommunications cables on the St. Peters Road itself.
“We also came across quite some rotted GEBE pipes, which we reported to GEBE, and we are now working together with GEBE in the same trenches from the entrance of St. Peter’s Road to the first bridge,” said Mr. Simmons.
TelEm Group CEO, Mr. Kendall Dupersoy, has meantime thanked the government for allowing the company the opportunity to repair its damaged underground cables during the lockdown since this is the best time possible due to minimizing traffic movement.
“A lot of these cables have been in need of repairs and upgrading for many years, but since this is a school district with heavy traffic movement, it was not possible until quite recently, to make a swoop and get the important work completed,” said Mr. Dupersoy, also taking the opportunity to apologize to customers who may be affected by the TelEm Group works.
