Cyclone causes 'significant' damage to Vodafone infrastructure

A large of number of Vodafone cell sites have been damaged during Cyclone Winston in Fiji, the telecommunications firm revealed yesterday.

Vodafone says the damage has resulted in 'significantly' reduced network coverage across the country, although some calls and TXTs are going through.

"While the extent of damage is yet to be fully understood, we are aware that there has been significant damage to infrastructure, including electricity and communications," the company says.

Vodafone is asking its customers trying to call or TXT family in friends to be patient while the network is congested. It says the team in Fiji is working hard to fully assess damage and restore the network as quickly as possible.

"Vodafone New Zealand is working closely with Vodafone Fiji to assist with the recovery and repair work," says Tony Baird, technology director, Vodafone New Zealand.

"A full assessment is currently being undertaken by local network engineers and we will have a clearer picture of damage over the next few hours," he says.

"We have a team of New Zealand engineers on standby, ready to be deployed with the appropriate equipment to contribute to the recovery."

"The devastating impact of Tropical Cyclone Winston on the Fijian Islands is being widely reported. Our thoughts are with the people of Fiji as they start the clean-up and recovery," the company says in a statement.