Internet service restored in Oman

Muscat: Omantel’s internet and phone network in most parts of Muscat was down from morning until late afternoon on Monday after a private contractor cut cables in Baushar area of capital, according to a senior official of the company.

"A private contractor cut cables that were at least three metres underground disrupting internet traffic," Abdullah Bin Nasib Al Hamer, Omantel’s General Manager for Operations and Maintenance, told Gulf News.

He denied earlier speculations that the contractor was carrying out repair work for damage caused by tropical cyclone Pet. "It is an ongoing government project," he revealed, but refused to name the contractor, who cut the cable and caused misery to hundreds of internet and phone users in Muscat.

He called it a 'double cut'. "The damage was caused to the main as well as a back cable," he explained. Al Hamer said the entire traffic for Muscat was rerouted using a second back up system.

"Our engineers are working on repairing the damaged cable even as we have restored almost 95 per cent of our services using the second back up system," he said.

The damage to the cable was caused at 8am and full system was up and running by 4pm, the Omantel official claimed.

He expressed regret for the inconveniency caused to customers due to this mishap and urged contractors to obtain prior clearance from Omantel before excavating anywhere in the country.