POWER SUPPLY SURGE MAY HAVE AFFECTED TELECOMS EQUIPMENT

A power surge in the island’s electrical supply from France may have affected some equipment in homes and businesses across Guernsey, including broadband routers.

A lightening strike in France caused a surge in the power which travelled from France into Jersey and then into Guernsey at around 1:25 pm on Friday 16th May 2008. This actually caused a dip in voltage in Guernsey. Equipment located in customer homes and offices, including broadband routers and voice switches, may now experience problems a result.

Russ Sharman, Chief Technical Officer for the telecoms operator, commented:

“The power dip may have affected many electrical items plugged into the power source. Incidents such as this are akin to an Act of God – they are frustrating, but thankfully rare. The good news is that our main network services remained almost entirely unaffected so the island lost no connectivity. However, some customers may find that their broadband router at home or in the office may have been affected by the dip.”

Cable & Wireless is advising those experiencing problems with their broadband router to unplug it from the mains and the computer, reconnect it and then re-power. Should the equipment still not work it may be necessary to contact the support services from the person’s telecoms or internet service provider.