CAGAYAN de Oro City Councilor George Goking on Wednesday determined to meet anytime soon the National Telecommunications Commissions (NTC), major telecommunications companies and internet providers in an effort to boost the city’s internet speed.
Goking said this even the NTC has ordered telecommunications companies and internet service providers (ISPs) to beef up their operations in the country.
Goking cited the problems that banking institutions in the city were affected after Typhoon Odette battered power transmission and distribution facilities and caused multiple fiber cable cuts.
City residents have not been able to withdraw money from their accounts through ATM machines and over-the-counter transactions, according to Goking.
“This meeting is in anticipation of a surge in internet traffic during this holiday season,” he said.
Goking said they need to fast track their maintenance efforts, increase internet/broadband capacities.
After the typhoon, Goking expressed concern that communications were totally cut off that even emergency calls could not be accommodated.
“It is a big problem especially when it is a call to save a life,” Goking said.
He said that even at this writing, Cagayan de Oro has slow and even sometimes temporarily lost telecommunication lines.
Fiber internet provider Converge ICT Solutions said its network operations in the city including Iloilo, Capiz, Cebu, and Davao were down as of Friday afternoon, last week.
“Business centers here were temporarily closed after the typhoon,” said Goking adding that the meeting is in an effort to boost the city’s internet speed.
According to NTC, internet and online traffic is projected to increase considerably this Christmas season.
“We are still hoping that this should not happen again thus this meeting,” said Goking.
He also advised public telecommunication entities and internet service providers to prepare for a surge in internet traffic this Christmas season.
Goking said that in a memorandum, NTC noted that internet traffic is projected to increase during the holidays.
Goking urged telco entities and internet service providers to observe a heightened level of emergency preparedness to ensure minimal disruption and downtime strictly complying with the prescribed service performance standards at all times.
“They should ensure that business continuity and disaster recovery protocols are in place and functioning, 24/7,” Goking said.
Meanwhile, Goking expresses his gratitude to business establishments in the city for their cooperation and help to residents during the typhoon.
He said that Seda hotel and others gave discounts to clients who were stranded because of the calamity.
It was learned that superstores and malls allowed their parking spaces to be used for stranded vehicles during the flood.
Some establishments also provided their dump trucks to transport passengers in areas not passable by light vehicles.
He also thanked all government agencies and the private sector for working together for the people in the city.
Awareness and preparedness play a big role during nature’s wrath, he added, as he expressed thankfulness that there was no casualty in the city during the calamity. (Ben Balce)
