Hong Kong - An alert system designed to prevent a repeat of
the internet chaos which followed the Taiwan earthquake on Boxing Day
will be introduced next month, Hong Kong's telecommunications
authority
said Tuesday.
The system will require operators to report larger disruptions and
stoppages to the Office of Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) within
a specified time. The authority would be responsible for informing
the public.
Asia was plunged into internet chaos on Boxing Day when an undersea
earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale struck Taiwan's
southern coast.
The quake and its aftershocks damaged four of Taiwan's Chunghwa
Telecom's six undersea cables, cutting off or slowing down the voice,
data and internet connections of many Asian countries with India,
Europe and the US.
Most networks resumed service within 48 hours after re-routing
connections but many suffered delays during peak times for up to two
weeks.
Service providers and OFTA came under criticism for failing
to inform customers of the problem promptly. The authority only
released a
statement almost 24 hours after the damage.
Director-General of Telecommunications Au Man-ho said he expected
the new warning system would be in place next month.
'We consider that both the operators and OFTA should play their
respective roles in advising the users and the public,' he said.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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