Taiwan quake disrupts RP Internet, phone services

(Ironically, I’m currently experiencing faster Internet despite this report. Go figure.)

Yes this explains the “intermittent” or slowing down of Internet services since this morning. Apparently, the 7.1 earthquake that hit Taiwan damaged major submarine fiber optic cables connecting the Philippines to the international networks.

Read the full story at INQUIRER.net.

On a side note, some business process outsourcing companies in the country suffered downtime due to this “unexpected” disaster. The impact of the damage is not yet known, or when will the services become normal. Abangan.

The quake has also forced RP BPO firms to revisit disaster preparedness. Read the rest of the story at INQUIRER.net.

I also did some searches in blogs and in some forums and found interesting reactions. You can read them here, here, and here.

I also found this interesting blog entry on how call centers reacted to this serious downtime.

Here’s more from TaiwanPinoy blog. It adds:

Repair is estimated to take 3 weeks, but Taiwan’s major telecom players are looking for satellite alternatives to alleviate the bottleneck.