Flow says most mobile customers still connected

Telecommunications company Flow says 72 per cent of its mobile customers still have access to connectivity while only 22 per cent of its fibre internet customers are currently registering online as a result of the impact of Hurricane Melissa.

It has blamed power challenges being experienced with some of its mobile sites, but says several of them are now dependent on backup power provided via generators deployed ahead of the storm.

The areas of highest impact are St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Trelawny and St James. The areas experiencing lowest impact from the storm are Kingston, St Thomas, St Andrew and Clarendon.

Flow says the issues with its fixed network are mostly based on limited residential power availability across the majority of the island.

The southern and eastern parishes of the island are the areas of lowest impact for internet service outages with relative service stability being maintained in those areas.

The company further notes that some customers may also be impacted by specific incidents of damage caused by the storm in their immediate vicinity that will be investigated once it is safe to do so.

Flow also says that its ability to continue to deliver services to customers will be largely dependent on access to continuous commercial power supply.

Flow advises that customers can utilise its FLOW Essential service, powered by Starlink, which will immediately provide emergency mobile connectivity for SMS and text communications.

It says some 3 per cent of Flow mobile customers are now accessing connectivity via this medium.

With damage assessments now limited to its remote monitoring system, Flow says its technical teams are on standby and ready to begin physical damage assessment and restoration efforts as soon as it receives the all clear from the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management.

Where possible, Flow customers experiencing service issues are encouraged to contact Flow's Customer Service team via WhatsApp at 876-620-2200. Additionally, Flow's Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) can be reached at 876-929-9834 / 9837 to report emergencies, including downed service lines.

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