Communications provider FLOW says it has been left with a repair bill of approximately $1 million after vandals “wreaked havoc” on its copper network in sections of St Catherine during the passage of Hurricane Matthew on Monday.

Infrastructure vandalism and theft have been ongoing issues for the company, but FLOW noted that “the fact that these criminals are using the cover of the impending weather system to carry out these acts of terrorism is unconscionable”.

“We are extremely concerned about this incident because of the potential danger and inconvenience posed to affected customers who will need to keep in touch with loved ones or call for assistance during the passage of the storm,” Director of Corporate Communications and Stakeholder Management Kayon Wallace stated in a release yesterday.

FLOW noted that more than 300 customers in the vicinity of 3 North, Greater Portmore, reported loss of service on Monday, despite efforts by the company to engage in mitigation processes to ensure that Jamaicans remain connected during the passage of the hurricane.

The communications provider says it lost a section of its copper network which delivers voice and Internet services. The company is again appealing to the public to report the perpetrators of these acts, but noted that its technical team has already completed an assessment of the situation and restoration efforts are underway.

“We are doing everything we can to get our customers back online before the hurricane starts impacting the island,” Wallace continued.

Prior to the passage of Hurricane Matthew near the island, FLOW advised that it activated emergency procedures and response teams and mitigation activities across the island in efforts to ensure that customers remained connected during and after the passage of the storm. Wallace noted that the company was also prepared to mobilise its repair team in the event that its services were disrupted.

According to FLOW, it is now boosting its security in the Portmore vicinity and is also taking further measures to protect its network infrastructure. One such protection initiative FLOW employs is the converting of fibre optic cable from copper network in areas of high vandalism.

Fibre optic cables consist of a bundle of glass threads, each of which is capable of transmitting messages modulated onto light waves. The technology has several advantages over traditional metal communication lines, including faster Internet speed, as well as no financial gain to be made from the sale of its fibre cables since they predominantly consists of glass.

“We have a vast network and majority of it is copper. However, the threat of vandalism is not everywhere, but where we see possible we have been converting to fibre optics. Where we go from that in terms of expansion of the fibre network will have to be an internal decision,” Wallace told the

Jamaica Observer in a telephone interview yesterday.

Last year, chief executive officer at Cable & Wireless Jamaica, Garfield Sinclair, called on Government to enact stiffer penalties for cable theft, for which the company suffered losses of up to $80 million over a six-month period.

“This is just pure vandalism. Generally, we found that when people sometimes get a hold of our infrastructure and they realise that it’s not copper, they don’t just leave. We have had instances where they cut the fibre, which is clear vandalism,” Wallace added.

“These individuals even come with their torches and when we seal the manholes they cut them open, so we know it’s not by accident.”

Wallace told the

Business Observer that FLOW continues to work with the Government and the related ministries to minimise the issue.