Damaged communication networks to be fully restored by Thursday; Deputy Minister says

All telephone and internet communication networks disrupted due to the recent disaster are expected to be fully restored by Thursday, according to Deputy Minister of Digital Economy, Eranga Weeraratne.

In a media statement, he said the Ministry of Digital Economy, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission and all telecommunication service providers are working tirelessly to restore services.

“Due to landslides and flooding, provincial fibre connections were disrupted at 11 locations. With the direct intervention of the ministry, we managed to restore services at nine of these within 24 hours. At present, all provincial connections are operational, ensuring continuity of telecommunication services. In instances where intermediate points remain affected, routing is being managed through alternative fibre paths,” he said.

Over 4,000 main transmission towers became inactive due to power failures and fibre disruptions caused by floods and landslides. Of these, approximately 2,800 have now been restored. The remaining 949 towers are inactive primarily due to power outages and telecommunication providers are working closely with the relevant authorities to restore functionality as soon as possible.

Currently, issues persist mainly in Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Puttalam and Vavuniya districts. Among them, Nuwara Eliya and Kandy remain the most affected. By Thursday morning, than 75 per cent connectivity is expected to be restored in Nuwara Eliya and Puttalam. Similarly, the ministry aims to increase restoration in Kandy from the present 65 per cent to around 70 per cent.