Donggala Quake; Minister Rudiantara Sends 30 Satellite Phones
29 September 2018 18:46 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Makassar - The government ordered the telecommunication and information accessibility agency (BAKTI) to send at least 30 satellite phones to connect the telecommunication network after earthquake and tsunami hit Donggala and Palu in Central Sulawesi on Friday.
"This is to support the coordination of the disaster mitigation in Donggala and surrounding area", said the communication and informatics minister Rudiantara in the press release Friday night, Sept. 28.
Previously, the ministry and meteorology agency BMKG had sent information about the quake through the SMS to cellular phone users in Donggala and surrounding area on Friday at around 2 p.m. As many as seven texts were blasted while the tsunami warning text was sent at 5:02 p.m.
Read: Facebook Enables Safety Check for Donggala Earthquake
The 7.7 magnitude quake in Donggala, Central Sulawesi, has cut telecommunication network in the region and its vicinity since the power supply was cut off.
General Manager External Corporate Communication of Telkomsel Denny Abidin, previously mentioned the natural disasters centered in Donggala had cut the PLN's power supply. It affected the quality of Telkomsel's telecommunication service in Donggala, Palu, and Parigi Moutong.
"Telkomsel is trying its best [to recover the electricity supply] by utilizing the mobile backup power to reduce the effect of the disruption. We're so sorry for the inconvenience," he said.
