EoW September 2012

News Corporate

Thieves damage subsea cable

UK telecom provider BT has reconnected network cables to hundreds of homes in Scotland, after thieves damaged a subsea link. The firm described a “major engineering challenge” to restore telecoms services delivered via the fibre-optic cable in Loch Carron. An attempt was made to steal the cable in early June, with the perpetrators apparently believing it was made of copper wire. Up to 7,000 residents and businesses in Skye, Lochalsh and the Western Isles lost telephone and Internet services as a result of the network damage. Engineers had to wait until low tide to begin work to deploy a new section of cable, a task which took over six hours to complete. Robert Morrison, BT’s senior operations manager in the Highlands and Islands, said of the repair workers: “I really can’t praise their efforts highly enough as the sea was virtually lapping at their feet when they finished connecting the links in the loch,” adding, “I’d also like to thank the local coastguard for providing us with safety support.”

British Telecom – UK Website : www.bt.com

▲ ▲ Loch Carron. Photograph courtesy of johnbraid, Big Stock Photos

12

www.read-eurowire.com

September 2012