HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Regular cellular coverage on the island is slowly creeping upward, with only one in five cell sites still offline as of Wednesday, according to the Federal Communications Commission.
That’s a jump from the weekend, when 26.6% of cell sites were reported offline, and last week, when 35.5% were offline. Just after Typhoon Mawar, about 70% of cell sites were offline.
More home and office customers likely will see their television, internet and telephone services come back online, but 1,984 customers remain without service.
Power issues remain the biggest cause of cellular outages, though more sites were on island power this week despite a still-unstable power grid and issues with a fault in the islandwide power system on Tuesday. Of the 260 cell sites that are online, 113 are on some form of backup power, the FCC reported.
Of the 67 cell towers still offline:
49 are out due to power issues.
8 are out due to damage.
10 are out due to “transport,” or network connection issues.
GTA
GTA this week reported its core network is fully operational and off-island internet connections are stable, with ample capacity.
“Most of our core network sites are on island power and we would like to thank GPA for prioritizing GTA as critical infrastructure to keep the island connected,” the company stated in a press release.
Most cell sites for GTA are operational, but keeping generators fueled and maintained remains the biggest challenge in keeping customers connected, the company said in its release. It’s a “fluid situation” and service may fluctuate as island power goes out and generators face issues.
Home and office services will need to await the return of island power before being fully restored, the company stated. Some areas have damaged network equipment due to power fluctuations and water issues, GTA said, and teams have been deployed to fix the issue.
“Much of our network infrastructure is underground and once island power is restored, many of our customers should have internet service available,” GTA stated.
If your power is restored and your internet isn’t working, please follow these steps:
Check that all the connections are securely plugged into the modem.
Unplug the power to the modem for 1 minute. Plug the power in and wait 3-5 minutes to initialize.
Once the modem has had time to boot up, plug in/power up your internet devices or digital TV set-top box.
If you have completed the above steps and are still having issues with your services, contact GTA’s support center for assistance.
Support center hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. You can call 671-644-4482, email [email protected], or use the live chat feature on gta.net.
For updates on what areas have service restored, go to: news.gta.net.
Updated store hours:
GTA Experience Center: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
Micronesia Mall: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Army & Air Force Exchange Service: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Navy Exchange: 9 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Docomo
Docomo customers continuing to experience a drop-off in home or cellular service can apply for a credit on their bill with Docomo Pacific, Docomo said in a press release.
The company announced the credit Wednesday, and said it will be based on a customer’s monthly bill and the duration of the outage experienced.
Customers can apply by emailing [email protected], visiting any store location, or calling the Docomo Service Credit Hotline at 671-685-CARE (2273).
Customers can expect a response within five to seven business days, according to the company.
Have the following information ready:
Account number.
Account name.
Service address.
Contact email.
Contact number.
Services affected — mobile, home phone, internet and/or entertainment.
Billing period you are requesting credit for.
Whether Docomo services have been fully restored.
Whether island power has been restored to your residence.
IT&E
IT&E announced in a press release that it has made “significant progress” in service restoration and recovery efforts, with 96% of the existing cell sites operational.
“Since the typhoon struck, our organization has been working tirelessly to assess the damage, provide immediate relief and chart a path toward full recovery. We express our deepest gratitude to all our subscribers for their patience, our employees for their hard work, and our community and business partners for their support,” said Jim Oehlerking, president of IT&E.
Fluctuating power around the island and interruptions in areas where cell sites are on generator power may affect service, the company stated.
IT&E is providing the following to subscribers to ease the strain of recovery:
BEAM subscribers will receive 50% off their billing for June, to be reflected in their July billing statement.
Postpaid subscribers will enjoy unlimited data until further notice.
Tethering is available for all postpaid subscribers, free of charge, until further notice.
Service suspension due to nonpayment has been postponed until June 30.
Finance charges and late fees have been waived for May and June.
To report service-related issues or for questions, subscribers can call 671-922-4483, chat with a customer service representative online at ite.net, or send a direct message on IT&E’s official social media page.
The GTA headquarters building is seen June 6, 2023, in Harmon. GTA this week reported that its core network is fully operational and off-island internet connections are stable.
