In mid-July, two fires in the Gironde destroyed 21,000 hectares of forest. An environmental disaster that also affected telecommunications networks. Now is the time to evaluate and repair the Orange. Diagnosis is in progress gradually “, it was made on 70% of the affected areas. All areas are not yet available due to security reasons.
In order to meet the needs of its subscribers deprived of Internet connection due to disasters, Orange implemented technical responses. Those who no longer have access to a fixed network have been offered 200GB of additional data on the go, enough to access the internet from a laptop without filling the data envelope included in the package. Consumers without a smartphone can go to an Orange store to purchase an Airbox, a box for creating a Wi-Fi network from a mobile connection.
Portable antennas burned out
Indeed, with nearly 200 poles up in smoke and 11 kilometers of damaged cables, the fixed network (ADSL and/or fiber) is the hardest hit. ” We hope to be able to complete all diagnostics and repair quickly by mid-August. The priority is to restore connectivity for our customers as they have been able to return home. Following surveillance tests performed by our teams and in the context of ongoing field diagnostics, we estimate that we have approximately 600 lines of exposure to date.“, explains Eric Arduin, Orange’s regional delegate in the southern part of New Aquitaine. Subscribers should therefore be patient and hope for a return to normal by the end of summer, even if the first interventions have already taken place this week in the Teste-de-Buch area to repair the damage caused by the fires. The operator also encourages consumers who experience direct damage to installations to report them on its dedicated website.
Mobile connections were also affected by the fires, two sites were burnt in the area. For the first, which is located in the Louchats area, Orange has deployed a temporary mobile site to allow the mobile network to be returned to residents. The second affected site is still unavailable for security reasons. While waiting for the green light from the authorities, Orange has made adjustments to its network, with nearby antennas redirected to bring the network into a suitable area. Affected customers are both permanent residents and tourists. For its part, Bouygues Telecom estimates that 200 of its customers have been affected in the sector. However, it will be necessary some delay to return to normal.
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.