20 September 2023
Fellow Islanders,
To have high-speed internet on Fishers Island, we utilize state-of-the-art, very high-frequency microwave technology that is beamed from a tower at the Groton Police Department to the tower on Fishers Island at the ‘Top of the World’. The challenge with the high-frequency microwave is that weather can degrade the signal. To ensure that the island has consistent access to the internet, a 2nd microwave was installed that is a lower frequency but can handle severe weather events.
Last week the tower located at the Groton Police Department was struck by lightning, which our microwave equipment, cellular antennas, paging, and other radios are mounted. With the lightning strike, the lower frequency microwave radio had a catastrophic failure along with other police and fire equipment. With the lower frequency radio being out of commission, only the higher frequency radio was operational providing service but would fade or drop out with heavy rain.
Once confirmation of the failure was made, standby maintenance crews and replacement equipment (enabled by our annual maintenance contracts) were engaged immediately. Our team of the manufacturer, our network management support team, and our staff worked together to get the radio replaced, configured, and passed internet traffic.
With the very heavy rain on Monday, we discovered that there needed to be some adjustments within the new radio that would improve the signal strength and minimize weather issues. The team made the necessary adjustments on the High and Low-frequency radios. They are now operating at their maximum capacity and resilience ready for heavy weather conditions.
Fishers Island Telephone is planning a long-term solution of a submarine fiber cable that will bring the most weather-resistant, high bandwidth, and dependable connection to the mainland possible.
We would like to thank the FITC crew, JSI, and Ceragon for their tireless efforts to restore the network.
Thank you for your understanding and support.
Steve Head
Telecom Superintendent
Fishers Island Telephone Company
+1-631-788-7001 x4
