ICE blames Internet, phone blackout on equipment failure

From the print edition

Malfunctioning equipment caused a network failure at the state-run Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) Wednesday that prevented more than 2 million customers around the country from using Internet and cellphone services for at least three hours, the company announced Friday.

“The root cause of the impairment was due to malfunctioning equipment,” ICE wrote in a report submitted to the Telecommunications Superintendency (Sutel).

Sutel is reviewing the reports to try to figure out the best way to compensate ICE customers.

According to reports from ICE’s support line (1115), the problem began at 3 p.m., and service was reestablished at about 5:45 p.m. Neither the company’s support staff nor its press office could immediately say what had caused the failure.

ICE reported connection failures on Internet, IP and 3G telephone services, both for making calls and sending messages. There also were reports of problems with fixed and GSM lines. The blackout affected some banks too, as customers could not use credit cards or withdraw cash from ATMs.