Update on Spark network, following power outage in Northland

Thursday, 8 December 2016, 12:03 pm
Press Release: Spark NZ

Update on the Spark network, following major power outage in Northland – update as at 11.30am 8-12-16

Following a widespread power outage in the Upper North Island that occurred early this morning, Spark has been closely monitoring and actively managing its mobile network in the region. While the network is generally performing well there are some localised impacts and mobile network congestion.

As at 11.30am there are three mobile cell-sites that are down. These are in Mangonui, Kerikeri and Browns Hill. Spark’s technical teams are either on site or enroute to those sites to re-establish connectivity with generator backup. A further 18 mobile cell sites in the affected region are running on back-up battery power. Customers may experience degraded or intermittent mobile performance. The team is currently deploying generators to high priority cell sites in order to protect service as a matter of urgency.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused. While the team from Transpower NZ are working to resolve the power situation as quickly as possible, Spark technicians are also working to protect mobile services. In the event of extended power outages we recommend that customers in the area conserve mobile phone battery life and use Voice and SMS services rather than data if possible.

For information about the power outage, regular updates are being provided on the Transpower NZ Facebook page. Spark customers will be kept updated via our website.

For further information, customers can contact us via:

Customer Care - 123

Customer Care (small and medium business) – 0800 110 062

Spark Digital Customers – please contact your Client Manager

Additional Background:

Mobile cell towers and access cabinets feeding these cell sites depend on a power source for the provision of both the cell site equipment and the back-haul services back to the cellular networks. Mobile towers have backup battery power but battery life has a finite limit which can be affected by traffic volumes. Generators are deployed as an alternative power source and cell-sites are prioritised according to coverage and traffic volume.

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