Connectivity / No confirmed time of repair yet for damaged subsea cable
Shetland customers of providers including Vodafone, Sky and TalkTalk have been without broadband since Friday afternoon
IT IS still unclear when repairs will be made to a damaged subsea cable off Orkney which has resulted in some Shetland residents losing broadband.
Faroese Telecom, which owns the SHEFA-2 cable, says “at this stage there is no confirmed estimated time of repair”.
Managing director Páll Højgaard Vesturbú also admitted that “given the time of year and near-shore conditions, the operation may take longer than usual”.
The fault on the cable between Orkney and Shetland occurred on Friday afternoon.
It saw broadband provision in Shetland for customers on some providers such as Vodafone, Sky and TalkTalk drop completely.
Given that the latest fault is in shallow water, Vesturbú said the damage could have been caused by the sea conditions in the windy weather.
He told BBC Radio Shetland that he hopes it is “not more than a week” for the repair to be carried out but added that it is “difficult to say” because it is so close to land.
In a statement, Vesturbú told Shetland News: “Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) are planning a new shore landing at Ayre of Cara beach, and some additional preparations will be needed before repair work can begin.
“At this stage there is no confirmed estimated time of repair, and given the time of year and near-shore conditions, the operation may take longer than usual.
“Connectivity to Shetland is being maintained through alternative routes via the northern section of SHEFA-2 and the FARICE-1 cable.
“While some capacity may be reduced until the repair is completed, services overall remain stable.”
BT has said its services – BT, EE and Plusnet – are unaffected because it uses back-up cable, which is “operating well and maintaining service for all of our customers on the islands”.
There was also significant connectivity disruption in Shetland in 2022 following damage to a different section of the SHEFA-2 cable, which was again thought to be caused by a fishing vessel.
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