Storms shatter Eircom cable

Ireland's Eircom has reported a break on one of its terrestrial cables, as its engineers scramble to repair thousands of faults on its network caused by extreme weather.
 
Eircom, Ireland's largest fixed-line network operator, said the fiber cable between Listwell and Foynes has been damaged, causing a loss of service for 10,000 broadband customers and 750 telephone subscribers.
 
The firm had reconnected the majority of broadband customers by late evening on Tuesday, leaving just 1,150 customers without access, and all its phone users, but said it was impossible to estimate how long it will take to repair the cable.
 
Engineers are still trying to establish the cause of the break, but it seems likely to be associated with recent extreme weather in Ireland, which has resulted in damage to many areas of the telco’s fixed-line network.
 
The firm has deployed 750 field technicians nationwide to deal with around 5,000 faults – 2,200 of which were reported yesterday alone.