General News
7 March, 2024
Excavation error knocks out town's internet
HUNDEREDS of customers lost internet access across Mortlake over the weekend after council works went underway.
Moyne Shire Council issued a statement this week apologising for the inconvenience after excavation works at the Mortlake Community Centre resulted in inadvertent damage to NBN infrastructure.
“Moyne Shire is sorry that many people in Mortlake were affected by the unplanned internet outage over the weekend, in addition to Saturday’s scheduled NBN outage,” a council spokesperson said.
“A Dial Before You Dig enquiry had been made prior to excavation works behind the Community Centre.
“The asbestos removal contractor engaged by council advised that a conduit carrying NBN and other telecom cables was buried higher than expected, which was part of the issue.
“The conduit was made of asbestos, and the contractor advised the conduit and cabling was damaged when rocks that were compressed against it were moved during removal of material.
“The contractor was able to remove all asbestos from the site, including the damaged parts of conduit, providing a safe working environment for the NBN repair crew.”
Head of NBN local Victoria Emily Peel said almost 800 customers were impacted by the outage.
“At the weekend there was about 795 customers across fixed wireless and fibre-to-the-node technologies affected from the outage,” she said.
“When damage like this occurs, it not only inconveniences people who rely on internet connectivity, it also comes at a cost to the wider community as well.
“Anyone doing work in the vicinity of any underground infrastructure is advised to check with Before You Dig Australia.”
A Telstra spokesperson said crews had worked quickly to repair the damage, and urged impacted customers to get in touch for any potential compensation claims.
“A cable that had been damaged by a third party around 10.45am on Saturday, March 2 was fixed by Sunday, March 3 around 7pm, restoring affected services in and around Mortlake," the spokesperson said.
“Our crews worked to get everyone back online as quickly as possible and we thank everyone for their patience.
“If any customer believes they have been significantly impacted, we encourage them to contact Telstra on 13 22 00 and ask for a compensation pack and then return it with the details attached.
“Any potential claims will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.”
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