Return of cell signal in some areas could take two days

Residents in areas worst affected by this weekend's flooding can expect to wait as long as two more days before Smart cell phone services are restored, according Smart Communications, Inc. spokesman Ramon Isberto. "Where our facilities were flooded, our generators broke down and we can't replace them until the flood subsides," Isberto said in a phone interview with GMANews.TV. He said those without Smart services include parts of Marikina, Antipolo, and various towns in Rizal. He added that the signal in Antipolo may be restored in the next 24 hours. Smart is the country's leading telecommunications company. Meanwhile Globe Telecom, Inc., Smart's main competitor, issued the following statement via text message through its regulatory affairs head, Froilan Castelo: "Our technical team has not stopped since last night in restoring our network facilities. Unfortunately for devastated areas where there is no electricity, they have to bear with us as we have to wait for electricity to be restored." Smart's Isberto explained that when flood waters entered some of their facilities the company had no choice but to shut them down to avoid permanent damage. He added that congestion -- or the huge traffic of calls and text messages -- led to some breakdowns in services, but the floods were by far a bigger factor. Those places suffering a loss of cell phone services also happen to be the areas where communications were most vital, as stranded residents could not contact frantic loved ones. Isberto said his company was exploring ways of providing free loads to people in some isolated areas who needed to communicate with the outside world. GMANews.TV was still trying to contact Globe Telecoms, whose services have also broken down in flood-stricken areas. GMANews.TV