30 Oct 2017

Cooks govt to meet after fire shuts down cell phone service

10:50 am on 30 October 2017

A fire on Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, that has cut cell phone services, is expected to be high on the agenda when the Cabinet meets on Tuesday.

Fire-damaged Bluesky substation in Aroa on Rarotonga.

Fire-damaged Bluesky substation in Aroa on Rarotonga. Photo: RNZI/Florence Syme-Buchanan

The Bluesky cell phone centre was gutted by Friday's fire and left the country's main island without internet and cell phone services.

The internet was restored within hours but phone services are yet to be fully restored with reports texts can be received but not sent.

Our correspondent Florence Syme Buchanan said many businesses on the island couldn't function without the service.

"On Tuesday when Cabinet meets there will be discussions among all the ministers to prevent an occurrence like this happening.

"Offshore industry, offshore banking industry has not been able to operate, our tourism industry has been able to operate, and a lot of business people I know have just resigned themselves to the fact that they couldn't operate and said, well, we are going to go fishing."

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