China Earthquake Costs Near US$1 Billion for Telco Operators

Preliminary estimates from China's telecoms operators has reported that the recent Sichuan earthquake has cost them RMB6.72 billion (US$960 million) - mainly due to infrastructure damage. The earthquake has damaged some 28,700 base stations, toppled over 142,000 telegraph poles and ripped up some 29,000 km of telecoms cables.

Six companies suffered losses including China Telecom, China Mobile, China Netcom, China Unicom, China Satcom and China Tietong, Shen Yongtao from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology told the official news agency, Xinhua.

As of Thursday afternoon, eight telecoms employees have been confirmed as dead, with 34 still missing and 69 injured. Since the quake, the telecoms industry has mobilised some 32,000 staff to help repair the damage, but their work is hampered by the damage to the roads and further aftershocks which have caused landslides in some areas. Liu Jianqiu, a 36-year-old worker was killed by sliding rocks during a May 16 aftershock while he was repairing cables.

Communication have been resumed in all the 109 towns in the eight hardest-hit counties in Sichuan, said said Zhao Zhiguo, vice-director of the telecommunications department with the ministry.

Posted to the site on 30th May 2008