Wednesday 14 December 2016
As you are aware, on the evening of 28th November damage was caused to three undersea telecommunications cables, the CI-7, Liberty and CI-8, between Guernsey and the southern coast of the UK.
While it is not unheard of for cables to be damaged, having three cut simultaneously is almost unprecedented; the last time a significant incident of this nature happened was 1979.
I am pleased to report to the Assembly that, despite the extraordinary nature of this event, contingency plans were in place, had been tested and were immediately enacted. Engineers from Sure provided support to their colleagues from JT and BT to ensure minimal disruption to internet and telephone services for users in the Bailiwick, with the vast majority of communication traffic successfully re-routed through the other submarine cable lines to the UK and France.
The Committee for Economic Development, along with colleagues from the Policy & Resources Committee, met with senior representatives from Sure and JT last week to discuss the incident, the response and impact in more detail.
Sir, I am pleased to report that final repairs to the cables were completed in the early hours of Sunday morning; and, following our meeting with Sure and JT, both Committees were reassured by the speed and professionalism of the initial response, by the way all parties worked together and by the plans that were enacted to reinstate the full network.
An event such as this could have had a significant impact on connectivity in the Channel Islands, if our infrastructure was not fit for purpose. However, the island's digital connectivity is secure and it is highly resilient, as a result of close liaison between the telecommunications industry and the States of Guernsey. Sir, in short, this incident put our digital network to the test and it passed with flying colours. It also reaffirms that Guernsey is one of the safest and most secure places to do business in the world.
Connectivity is of crucial strategic importance, and while it would clearly be preferable for contingency measures to remain firmly in the background, without ever needing to be activated, it is nevertheless reassuring to know that Guernsey's infrastructure has the necessary resilience to maintain business-as-usual activity, even when unprecedented events occur.
