Flow poised to deepen network resilience with underground expansion

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Flow Jamaica has successfully completed the decommissioning and removal of its legacy underground copper network, marking another significant milestone in the company’s ongoing transformation of Jamaica’s telecommunications infrastructure. The completion of this work creates greater capacity for Flow to accelerate the undergrounding of vulnerable aerial fibre transmission routes, strengthening the network and providing greater protection for critical connectivity against the impact of severe weather. Stephen Price, vice president and general manager of Flow Jamaica, said the milestone represents an important step in the company’s broader network resilience strategy. “This is another important step in strengthening Jamaica’s telecommunications infrastructure. By removing our legacy copper network, we can create greater capacity to move more of our critical fibre routes underground, where they are better protected from high winds, falling trees and other impacts associated with severe weather,” he said in a press release on Friday. The undergrounding programme forms part of Flow’s broader network modernisation and resilience efforts, which have accelerated significantly following Hurricane Melissa. Rather than simply replacing damaged infrastructure, Flow has taken the opportunity to rebuild with modern fibre technology and strengthen the network for the future, while continuing restoration work in communities affected by the hurricane. Over the past two years, Flow has moved approximately 170 kilometres of fibre transmission routes underground, with the programme set to continue in earnest. The investment is focused on protecting critical sections of the network, reducing their exposure to severe weather and improving the resilience of the infrastructure that communities, businesses and essential services rely on every day. “Our network is critical national infrastructure, and strengthening its resilience is an ongoing responsibility,” said Price. “We are continuing to invest in a smarter, more resilient network that can better withstand the challenges presented by Jamaica’s environment and keep customers connected when it matters most.” At the same time, Flow continues to face the damaging effects of vandals targeting its network infrastructure. In recent weeks, the company said it has seen an increase in suspected incidents involving individuals apparently searching for copper and interfering with sections of the company’s fibre network. Price stressed that these actions are not only misguided but directly undermine connectivity for communities and businesses. “There is simply nothing to be gained from cutting our fibre cables in search of copper. There is no longer any copper contained in our underground cables, so anyone cutting them for this purpose will come away empty-handed,” he said. “What these actions do accomplish is disrupting connectivity for customers, communities and businesses. They also divert critical technical resources away from planned network improvements and restoration work to repair damage that could have been prevented,” Price added. Flow is urging members of the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity around telecommunications infrastructure to the police.