Digicel offers free data, calls after bushfire disrupts service

Digicel says the disruption experienced by customers on Good Friday was caused by a bush fire near Bamboo Village, Valsayn.

In a statement on Sunday, the telephone and internet services provider said, after the disruption, its emergency response team worked feverishly to find the damaged segment of fibre cables and conduct the necessary repairs.

“It is important to note that most outages occur when fibre cables that transmit service become broken or damaged. This is usually caused by external incidents such as tree falls, vehicle strikes and in this case, a bush fire.”

Digicel CEO Abraham Smith said the disruption was regretted and offered free data and unlimited calls.

“As a gesture of goodwill, we are giving customers some added value this weekend. For our Digicel+ customers, we are giving free access to the HBO suite for the remainder of the Easter long weekend so that you can enjoy the hottest movies and premium entertainment on us until midnight on Monday.

"For our mobile customers, specifically the ones with 1-day plans who the disruption prevented from enjoying a full day, we are giving you a free one-day Lite bundle with 5GB LTE any-use data and unlimited Digicel calls.”

The statement said one-day customers who qualified for the offer would have the option to activate the free plan when their current plan expired.

Digicel thanked customers for their patience and understanding and saluted the technicians who “quickly surveyed miles of cabling and braved unfavourable conditions to conduct repairs in the shortest time possible.”