We are also attempting to restore internet connectivity in the Jayapura city administration. We also prioritize the repair work for hospitalsJayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - PT Telkom claimed that internet services were gradually made available for the Papua provincial administration, police, and military institutions in Jayapura, as it continues to repair its undersea cables broken since April 30, 2021.
"We are also attempting to restore internet connectivity in the Jayapura city administration. We also prioritize the repair work for hospitals," Head of the PT Telkom-Papua Office Sugeng Widodo noted in a statement that ANTARA quoted here, Friday.
Widodo attributed natural factors as the chief reason behind the breakage in this state-owned telecommunications enterprise's undersea cables that disrupted internet connectivity and telecommunication services in several parts of Papua Province.
"This problem is purely related to natural factors, and its causes will come to light after the broken undersea cables are lifted from the sea," he remarked.
As efforts are ongoing to fix the problem, people in the affected areas are able to communicate solely through voice and SMS services, but this temporary condition did not trigger panic among the public, he stated.
In the wake of this PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia's (Telkom's) undersea cable break, the Papua provincial administration has urged community members to stay calm and to not respond to rumors around sabotage and cable break.
"This undersea fiber optic cable breakage, which occurred about 700 kilometers away from the waters of Sarmi District, is a force majeure," Papua provincial government's secretary, Dance Yulian Flassy, stated earlier.
The cable break has disrupted the telecommunication giant's services in Jayapura City and the districts of Jayapura and Sarmi, but PT Telkom's customers in the southern parts of Papua were unaffected, according to Flassy.
The provincial government's communication and informatics officials have engaged in discussions regarding the matter and deliberated on ways to address the impact of cable breakage with their counterparts at the PT Telkom-Papua Office, Flassy stated.
"We are optimistic of the telecommunication services remaining available ahead of the Idul Fitri festivities that marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadhan," he remarked.
Meanwhile, the Papua office for education, libraries, and archives urged PT Telkom to address issues with internet connectivity arising from the breakage.
"During the COVID-19 pandemic, only some 34-44 percent of the students in Papua were engaged in online learning," Head of the Papua Office for Education, Libraries, and Archives Christian Sohilait stated.
However, his office again encountered problems with disrupted internet connectivity over these past few days. To address the problem, Sohilait has appealed to PT Telkom to fix the undersea cable break at the earliest.
"Our education process is now going through a difficult time, but I appeal to all teachers to stay motivated," he stated.
Services offered by this telecommunication giant in Jayapura City and the districts of Jayapura and Sarmi were disrupted since April 30, 2021, after its undersea fiber optic cables located between Sarmi and Biak broke.
"We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers," Sugeng Widodo had stated earlier.
The company will require a month's time to solve the problem and has striven to offer partial satellite-based services to affected customers, though they could not be optimally served, he stated.
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Translator: Hendrina DK, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Sri Haryati
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