Update: Police said about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday that Hawaiian Telecom had successfully repaired its fiber line and that cell and landline phone service to the west side of the island is now fully restored.
The hours-long telecommunications outage that impacted much of West Hawaii was caused by the accidental severing of a fiber optic cable by a construction company working in a remote area near Waikoloa Village, according to Hawaiian Telcom.
The line was cut around 9 a.m. Tuesday, disrupting cellular telephones, traditional landline telephones, the internet, and public radio stations’ ability to broadcast. It also impacted the ability to call 9-1-1 and police stations in Kona and Ka’u.
Hawaii Police Department reports that they were informed by Hawaiian Telcom of a fiber line break affecting telephone and cell phone communications in West Hawaii, including the Kona, Ka‘u, and Waikoloa areas. This line break is also impacting the public’s ability to call 9-1-1 and police stations in Kona and Ka‘u.
Many customers on the west side of Hawaii Island are not able to call out on their cellphones and landlines. If residents are in need of assistance and are unable to call 9-1-1 or the non-emergency line, they are advised to please go to the nearest police station or medical facility.
Kona police station is located at 74-611 Hale Makaʻi Place, Kailua-Kona, and the Kaʻu police station is located in Naalehu at 95-5355 Mamalahoa Highway, Naalehu.
According to Hawaiian Telcom, the issue started around 9 a.m. and is estimated to take several hours to repair.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.