Emergency measures to back up HK Internet
Hong Kong telecom authorities assumed emergency powers Tuesday as businesses faced disruptions to Internet links on the first day back to work after an earthquake damaged digital communications networks in the region.
Telecom providers and Internet service providers were giving the city?s telecom authority OFTA hourly updates on service capacity as repair ships struggled to mend fibre optic cables severed in the Boxing Day quake off Taiwan.
"We put the emergency response system in place this morning as this was the first day that businesses and schools resumed operations after the Christmas and New Year holidays," said Ha Yung-kuen, acting director general of telecommunications at OFTA.
By mid-morning OFTA had received only 20 inquiries from Internet users, suggesting that services had not been hit as hard as had been feared.
