Kaikoura earthquake: Telcos successfully restore broadband and IP voice services

The 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck near Hamner Springs in the early hours of Monday morning is still taking a toll on the South Island, and even the entire Country.

Since then, there has been success to restore telecommunications services in Kaikoura with broadband and IP voice services returning at last night at 11pm.

Vodafone, Spark and Chorus all collaborated on re-routing traffic to Wellington and Christchurch through provisioned capacity on Vodafone's Aqualink cable.

And now, with the Wellington link established, the telcos advise that all of Kaikoura's 1,466 broadband customers should see their broadband service restored.

However, there are still specific local issues following the earthquakes which may result in fault connections. This can be attribute to loss of power to a street cabinet or damage to an individual's line.

"Our recommendation is for Kaikoura broadband customers, regardless of their provider, is to try reconnecting to their broadband," a statement read.

"To re-set the connection, they should first turn their broadband modem off and on again. If they are then unable to connect and have mobile phone coverage, they should log the fault with their broadband provider.

Work to re-connect landlines should be completed later today, as this requires an additional link from Kaikoura to Christchurch.

The Waiau exchange is also now complete after a 1km fibre replacement cable was helicoptered in yesterday.

Waiau residents should now have full access to landline services and the telcos hope to re-establish broadband and full mobile connectivity later today.