Digicel yesterday announced that its network is now functioning well in Port-au-Prince, Haiti as more and more customers are connecting and are being able to make and receive calls, text messages, email and BlackBerry messenger messages.
The company’s connection in Haiti had been disrupted following the massive earthquake the hit the country last week Tuesday.
According to the company in a release, with coverage in the rest of the country good, the company is also ensuring that all of its 2 million plus customers in that country can stay in contact with friends and family by giving each one of its customers US$5 in free call credit-totalling US$10 million.
Following an assessment of the company’s network-done by a team dispatched to the country — it was determined that all three of Digicel’s three switch sites which serve the country are operation and while one is damaged an interim solution has been put in place until new equipment arrives. The release said that 70% of the network’s cell sites are on air and work is continuing to restore service to the others and there is still some congestion on the network when making and receiving overseas calls.
Following the earthquake the company donated US$5 million to non-governmental organisations and the company has also set up the Digicel Haiti Relief Fund and up to last Friday evening–two days after the fund went live- some US$300,000 was donated by customers across the company’s 32 markets worldwide.
And in addition to previous aid drops over the last five days, the company said that it has assembled 10,0001bs of medical supplies, food and water ready to go to Haiti from Jamaica.