Openserve says it is experiencing a significant increase in network related faults due to the current extreme weather which has "wreaked havoc" on its infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal coastal areas.

The fixed broadband provider said in a statement this morning that the flooding has restricted technicians from accessing underground accesses in the fault zones and will cause delays in repair times.

"The extent of the damage to infrastructure in KZN which spans buildings, indoor and outdoor core and access network infrastructure is substantial and the net impact is still being assessed," Openserve says.

It says overhead cables have also been affected with trees becoming waterlogged resulting in branches breaking or falling onto overhead cables with resultant damage. Lightning has also caused damage to the cable network and customer premise equipment.

"We are proactively monitoring all critical sites to minimise service interruptions and are doing our utmost to restore services in affected areas as soon as possible," says Openserve CEO Alphonzo Samuels.

"We understand the great inconvenience disconnection of our services brings to our clients and their customers. We will therefore be on extra high alert during this period, mobilising all available technicians to work additional hours if needs be," adds Samuels.

He asks residents and business that run on Openserve's network to report faults via their respective service providers.

Openserve is Telkom's wholesale partner and is a division of the Telkom group.