Cyclone Remal: Millions out of network as 12,000 cell towers go out of service

Millions of people were out of telecommunication services, as around 12,000 telecommunication towers in the coastal districts were knocked out of service owing to the power outage caused by Cyclone Remal, according to officials of telecom operators.

Around 70% of the telecom towers in the cyclone-hit southern region went out of service amid no power for a day and the tower operators have been struggling to continue services using alternative power supplies, Robi Axiata's Chief Corporate and Regulatory Officer  Mohammed Shahedul Alam told The Business Standard at 4.00pm.

"The backup battery power can run a tower for 6-8 hours and it was exhausted almost in each of the tower stations in the cyclone hit coastal areas, " he said, adding portable diesel and petrol generators are helping run some of the towers.

Telecom industry sources said as of 4.00 pm Monday (27 May), half of the country's over 45,000 cell towers faced power outages as the electricity providers had to cut power to prevent accidents during the cyclone.

Generators might remain the only source of power for the cell towers in the worst-hit districts as the grid electricity restoration might take up to Tuesday (28 May) afternoon in most areas, they added.

According to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), Barguna, Bagerhat, Pirozpur, Bhola, Satkhira, Jhalkathi, Potuakhali, Barisal and Gopalganj were the most affected districts to face telecommunication disruptions as 66%-82% cell towers there went out of service by 10.00am Monday.

By 9.00am Monday, 28% of 29,668 cell towers in 45 districts went out of service due to power outages and the telecom regulator, to help ensure a smooth post-disaster recovery, urged electricity operators to restore power connections as early as possible.