22 Jan 2005

Lessons must be learnt from Intelsat failure, says Vanuatu Telecom head

8:31 am on 22 January 2005

The Managing Director of Telecom Vanuatu, Michel Du Puis says the US-based company Intelsat was unprepared for its satellite failure.

Telecommunications services have now been restored to the majority of locations which lost international links when the region's major satellite failed last week.

TVL has been criticised by anonymous sources in the Port Vila Presse for its amateurish management of the telecommunications link in light of the failure.

But Mr Du Puis says his staff worked night and day to respond to the failure and the problem is, that TVL is completely reliant on the Intelsat satellite.

He says, as it was the first failure in 26 years, Intelsat lacked a serious restoration plan for such an unexpected problem.

"The Pacific Island Telecommunication Association has sent a letter to the chairman of Intelsat asking him that we must have a good co-operation with them in order to have a serious disaster-recovery plan. I think it must be a serious lesson for everyone."