MOSCOW, Oct. 11The submarine fiber-optic communication line (FOCL) cable to Chukotka, built at the end of 2022 and being the only terrestrial line of the general communication network with the rest of Russia, was damaged by a fishing vessel, repair work will last about two weeks, according to a message from the press service of the Chukotka government Autonomous Okrug.
Earlier it was reported that the undersea fiber-optic cable between Iturup and Kunashir was damaged, which was recorded on Saturday. The regional authorities held an emergency meeting with telecom operators and developed the necessary solutions to use alternative channels for providing communication services to residents of the islands during the period of restoration of the submarine line. The cause of the damage is being determined by law enforcement agencies. The Ministry of Digital Development expects that the underwater fiber-optic cable connecting the islands of Kunashir and Iturup will be repaired as soon as possible.
«»Since December of the previous year, Rostelecom has been conducting functional and stress testing of the underwater fiber-optic communication line (FOCL) Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky — Anadyr in order to check and evaluate the parameters of the FOCL for launching into commercial operation. During control measurements, a deviation in the parameters of the underwater section of the communication line was detected from the design ones, caused by damage by a third-party vessel that was trawling in the cable security zone,” the statement says.
Authorities report that given the difficult climatic conditions and the limited navigation period in the Bering Sea, preventative repair work is planned for the period from October 12 to 23.
«»During the work on the fiber-optic communication line in the region, there will be a significant decrease in the quality of telecommunications services provided. Communication will be carried out using reserve satellite resources, the throughput of which is limited. Representatives of Rostelecom note that the company will take all possible measures to reduce the time for carrying out preventive work, and subscription fees for communication services will not be charged during this period,” they conclude.
In mid-December 2022, Rostelecom completed the construction of an underwater fiber-optic communication line to Chukotka, 2.2 thousand kilometers long, laid in the coastal waters of the Bering Sea; commercial operation began in the first quarter of 2023. The capacity of the new communication line was 100 Gbit/s, expandable to 8 Tbit/s.
The construction of the FOCL in Chukotka was carried out within the framework of the federal project «Information Infrastructure» of the national program «Digital Economy of the Russian Federation». For these purposes, 7.36 billion rubles were allocated from the federal budget to Rostelecom.» Chukotka remained the last region not connected by terrestrial fiber-optic lines to the general communication network of the Russian Federation. The construction of this underwater fiber-optic line is the largest regional project of the national program «Digital Economy» of the Russian Federation.»
Previously, the Ministry of Digital Development stated that the construction and launch of fiber-optic lines from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Anadyr will help curb the growth of Internet tariffs in Chukotka. They noted that in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, satellite communication is still the only available backbone communication infrastructure.