• 80% comms restored; ongoing disaster slows full recovery
• Extensive disruption to fibre-optic cable networks
• Comms outage hampers rescue, coordination efforts
• Cost of damage to telco infrastructure being calculated
• Restoring power essential for return to normal comms

As of last afternoon (29), around 80% of telecommunication services had been restored across the island. Telecommunication services were interrupted in several areas following prolonged power cuts and widespread fibre-optic cable damage. 

When contacted by The Sunday Morning, Ministry of Digital Economy Acting Secretary Waruna Sri Dhanapala noted that while the telecommunications sector had made rapid progress in the past 48 hours, the pace of full recovery remained constrained by the difficulty of restoring power in severely affected regions.

“The primary challenge has been the widespread power outages affecting operations,” Dhanapala said, adding that telecom operators, Government agencies, and emergency crews were still contending with inaccessible terrain, damaged infrastructure, and continuing rainfall.

He confirmed that communication towers fell under the purview of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) and that private telecom companies were currently bearing their immediate repair costs, while the Ministry of Finance would carry out a broader assessment. 

“The final cost factor is still to be established,” he said.

Dhanapala added that the Government had mobilised all available resources, including support of the armed forces, to assist telecom companies in restoring operations wherever possible.

India, he noted, was also assisting with specific requirements to restore power to mobile networks, particularly in districts where grid infrastructure had suffered extensive damage.

He further confirmed that the ministry was coordinating with the Radio Society of Sri Lanka (RSSL) to establish volunteer-run radio communication links in locations where traditional networks remained inaccessible. 

“We are coordinating with private sector entities and the amateur radio community to establish a radio communication network,” he said.

Meanwhile, TRCSL Director General Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Bandula Herath said that the dual impact of power cuts and fibre-optic cable damage had left parts of the central highlands and Eastern Province without reliable connectivity, severely hampering disaster response operations.

Herath stressed that restoring power remained the single most important requirement for a full return to normal communications. 

Teams from the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) are already on the ground, but blocked access routes, unstable slopes, and ongoing landslide risks have slowed their movement. In order to accelerate recovery, the TRCSL has taken steps to operate telecom infrastructure independently of the grid.

“We have secured generators for the sites today,” Herath said. “We are making progress and most sites should have power restored shortly.” 

These generators, now being transported into isolated pockets of Gampola, Kandy, Badulla, and surrounding areas, are expected to provide temporary connectivity while the CEB continues clearing routes and rebuilding damaged lines.

The second major setback has been the extensive disruption to fibre-optic networks, which form the backbone of Sri Lanka’s internet and mobile data systems. Herath said multiple fibre lines had been severed by landslides, rendering key districts data dark despite functioning mobile towers.

To address this, the TRCSL and the Ministry of Digital Economy have launched a coordinated effort with the Ministry of Power and Energy and the CEB to utilise alternative fibre capacity.

“Since the CEB has its own fibre network, our technical teams are now working on a plan to share the CEB’s fibre capacity to bridge the gaps and restore connectivity,” Herath said. 

This fibre-sharing arrangement, unprecedented in its scope, is expected to fast-track network restoration in several districts where commercial fibre cannot yet be repaired.

However, Herath cautioned against expecting immediate normalisation. When asked whether full recovery could be achieved within the day, he replied: “No, not all of them,” citing the scale of the damage and the logistical challenges faced by repair crews.