Utilities regulator OfReg has expressed “deep concern” after the unscheduled outage of Flow’s fixed lines restricted calls to emergency services.
The government sent an emergency alert to the public on the morning of 21 Nov. warning of temporary limitations in access to the 911 Communications Centre.
The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service and the Health Services Authority also issued statements with alternative phone numbers to call.
Sonji Myles, OfReg’s executive director of information and communication technology, met with Flow staff immediately after the incident to find out what caused the outage.
“Outages generally, but especially those impacting 911 services, are a matter of concern, and we are pursuing a comprehensive understanding of the incident,” he said.
OfReg has formally requested that the telecoms company submit a detailed resolution report providing in-depth analysis of the factors that contributed to the outage.
The report also needs to include measures taken for immediate resolution, and a comprehensive plan to prevent such occurrences in the future.
“Flow has been very responsive and cooperative,” Myles said in the press release from the regulator.
He said OfReg expects the resolution report from Flow to shed light on the causes of the outage.
“Fixed-line networks are a critical part of our emergency services infrastructure and we will act to ensure they are properly maintained and protected by operators,” Myles added.
OfReg is considering aspects of Flow’s compliance with its licence conditions on delivery of calls to 911.
Calls from a Flow mobile line to 911 were unaffected by the outage.
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