Hawaiian Telcom providing free community WiFi and phone service at three Maui shelters

Wildfire updates for Aug. 15 are posted: HERE.

Hawaiian Telcom is providing free community WiFi and phone service at three Maui shelters: War Memorial Gym in Wailuku, Kīhei Gym and Hannibal Tavares Community Center in Pukalani.

“We understand connectivity is essential and our teams worked quickly and safely to provide needed phone and WiFi service in the community shelters,” said Su Shin, president and general manager at Hawaiian Telcom. “Other teams are working in parallel, placing poles and new fiber in Lahaina to bring connectivity back to ourcentral office, which will help to enable more cell phone service that people in this area so desperately need.”

Hawaiian Telcom is working with various wireless carriers to allow set up of their equipment on Hawaiian Telcom’s property in Lahaina to support restoration of cell service to the area.

Crews continue to work in Kula, removing fallen trees and placing new poles and fiber.

The company is also waiving equipment charges and pausing billing charges for customers affected by the wildfires.

Previously, Hawaiian Telcom announced:

• Customers in areas such as Lahaina, Nāpili, and Kā‘anapali can request to have calls to their Hawaiian Telcom landline numbers forwarded free of charge to another phone number. Customers can call 808-643-MAUI (6284) or click here to submit an online request.
• Maui customers are encouraged to continue to keep non-essential calls to a minimum to ensure that lines can remain open for emergency purposes. Cell phone users are encouraged to text instead of call when possible. 
• For safety, please avoid downed lines as they could be active electric lines that are dangerous to touch. Moving them could also hamper restoration efforts. To report fallen utility poles or cables or contact the customer support team, please call 808-643-6111 or visit com/supportform.

For the latest information and updates, please visit hawaiiantel.com/maui. This site includes information on Maui service disruptions, restoration updates and support as well as information about an employee-spearheaded collection of needed items and a link to donate funds to support Maui.