In a June 25, 2022, Press Statement, the Communications Workers Union (CWU) referenced a fibre break that impacted services to Tobago. In what appears to be a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and undermine the company, the CWU stated that the fibre break “rendered fixed and mobile broadband services inaccessible.”

The CWU’s classification of the impact of the incident is ill-informed and false. TSTT takes this opportunity to provide the facts.

Around 3:00 a.m. on June 24, a fibre cable located in Toco was deliberately cut. This cable is instrumental in delivering service to Tobago. TSTT’s network has built-in redundancy so the traffic was immediately rerouted to an alternate pathway. The alternate pathway did not have the same capacity so customers would have experienced intermittent interruptions in their service.

The CWU’s attempt to suggest otherwise is pitiful and nothing more than misplaced creative liberties. TSTT categorically rejects the CWU’s claim that service was “rendered inaccessible.”

The repair exercise was extensive and as a result, customers experienced intermittent service interruptions for 18 hours – from 3:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The work was led by a competent in-house crew and has been the case over many years, supplemented by an external team who worked diligently to ensure service was fully restored, in the shortest possible time frame.

Given the location of the fibre break and the extensive work required, a restoration time of 18 hours is well within industry standards. Whether a convenient omission or an intentional oversight by the CWU, the restoration time would have been the same if the incident occurred before the May 31, 2022, exercise.

TSTT is focused on building a sustainably profitable company that continues to contribute to national development. The Company has developed a future state organisation that leverages its significant capital investments in technology; one that enables it to adapt and evolve with the constant technological developments and support growth in the foreseeable future.

TSTT calls on the CWU to refocus its agenda and truly seek the best interest of the employees by working together to achieve this mission.

It is important to note that the incident which impacted service to Tobago was directly linked to the theft of copper cables. In carrying out their criminal activities, vandals often destroy fibre optic cables in the process. This material (fibre) has no significant commercial value, however, when damaged, it can lead to widespread service outages.

These acts of sabotage are a major inconvenience that directly impacts people, impairs communities, and hinders productivity. TSTT strongly condemns this criminal activity and the actions of those who fuel the illicit trade by purchasing the stolen material.

Members of the public are reminded that criminal activities of this nature attract severe penalties under the Telecommunications Act. By virtue of Section 69 (1) of the Act, a person who maliciously damages, removes, or destroys facility works or other installation of a public network or a public telecommunications service commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of up to $250,000 and to imprisonment of up to five years.

TSTT will continue to work with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and law enforcement agencies to bring these matters before the court.