Telecom connects with community

Prime Minister Jim Marurai on Friday morning opened a $470,000 investment at its inland Aroa Receiving Station by Telecom Cook Islands. It is designed to help ensure the community stays connected during cyclones.
Chief executive Stuart Davies said Telecom often faces complaints that it does not do enough for social services. But he said this is mainly because it does not publicise what it has done.
He said the Aroa development was an example of what Telecom Cook Islands does do, not for commercial reasons but as a good citizen.
As a result of the cyclones of January/February 2005/2006 it had:
n MOVED the fibre optic terminal inland from the coast. “During the last hurricane the sea came across the road on either side of our fibre optic terminal and although we had sandbags and were constantly monitoring the situation we were worried,” he said.
n BUILT a new standby satellite earth station at Aroa in case the dishes at its Parekura headquarters are knocked out. “Although Telecom has two separate dishes they are close together and would be both affected if we had very high seas,” he said.
Davies said Telecom Cook Islands was covered by insurance. But it appreciated that in the unlikely event of something happening the loss of service would cause considerable hardship to the community. Hence the $470,000 investment.
Nga Glassie, of the Cook Islands Times, was there to take these photos.

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