Palu Earthquake: Kemkomdigi Restores 8 Affected BTS Sites

The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Kemkomdigi) moved swiftly to address telecommunication infrastructure disruptions following the earthquake in Palu, Central Sulawesi. As of Tuesday evening (16/6), eight Base Transceiver Station (BTS) towers were reported to have returned to normal operation after being affected by the magnitude 6.7 tremor.

Based on data from the Ministry’s Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (PMT) as of 15.00 WIB, 29 BTS sites experienced service disruptions due to the Palu earthquake. This number represents approximately 1.04 per cent of the total 2,601 sites spread across the affected area.

“Of that number, eight sites have been successfully restored, or around 27.59 per cent of the total affected sites,” the Ministry stated in an official release on Tuesday (16/6).

PMT data detailed that 21 sites remain in a down state. The disruptions are spread across several locations, namely Palu City, Sigi Regency, and Poso Regency. The fastest recovery was recorded in Palu City with five sites back online, followed by Sigi Regency with three sites. Meanwhile, 13 sites in Poso Regency are still undergoing intensive repairs following the Palu earthquake.

Reports from telecommunication operators indicated that the main network constraints were caused by severed transmission lines and power outages due to the earthquake’s impact. The government has confirmed it will continue to coordinate with mobile operators and local governments to accelerate the normalisation of services across all affected areas.

As of the latest update, Kemkomdigi reported no casualties at telecommunication facilities affected by the Palu earthquake. Monitoring of personnel and facilities in the field is being conducted regularly.