DoCoMo Damage and Restoration Status

DoCoMo has just released status update on damages & restoration progress from the March 11th earthquake and tsunami: http://bit.ly/fkPU2c

They have detailed info via .PDF in English Here [Eds]

Due to the impact of the Tohoku-Pacific Ocean Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011, some of NTT Group’s services, including fixed-line and mobile communication services, remain unavailable, particularly in the Tohoku region. The entire group is currently devoting its efforts towards restoration, and we apologize for any inconveniences caused.

After the earthquake, facilities were damaged and commercial power supply was disrupted at exchange offices, among other things, impacting approximately 1.5 million circuits for fixed-line services, approximately 6,700 mobile base station equipment, approximately 15,000 circuits for corporate data communication services and others.

In accordance with its disaster prevention operation plans based on the Basic Act on Disaster Control Measures, NTT Group established the Disaster Countermeasures Office and over 10,000 people from NTT group companies across the nation have been making an all-out effort to restore the damaged communication facilities and services. Through such efforts as its provision of the Disaster Emergency Message Dial and the Disaster Message Board service, deployment of mobile base station vehicles (approximately 30 vehicles) and satellite mobile phones (approximately 870 handsets) and installation of special public telephones (approximately 2,300 telephones), NTT Group is making efforts to secure a means of communication for those who were affected by the earthquake.

As a result of these efforts, more than 90 percent of the affected exchange offices and mobile base station equipment have been restored and services are gradually recovering. Going forward, NTT Group is planning to have its exchange offices and base stations almost completely restored (except for certain areas where restoration is physically difficult, such as areas surrounding the nuclear power plant and areas with physically damanged roads, tunnels, etc.) by the end of April through, among others, renewal of power supplies and equipment and re-installing relay transmission lines, repair of relay transmission lines to mobile base stations, and area remedies for mobile phones using large zone schemes where a single station covers multiple stations. Full Press Release Here