Claro Restores Internet Services After Fiber Cuts Disrupt Dominican Republic

Claro Dominicana restored its fixed and mobile internet services after a network failure disrupted connectivity across parts of the Dominican Republic on Friday, November 6. The company initially described the incident as a partial outage affecting some customers nationwide, but later attributed the disruption to two cuts in its fiber-optic infrastructure.

In an updated statement published later that afternoon, Claro said 100% of the affected services had been restored. The company added that its technical teams would continue monitoring the network to verify service stability following the repairs.

Two fiber-optic cuts caused the disruption

Claro subsequently provided more information about the origin of the incident, explaining that it had experienced two fiber-optic cuts caused by third parties. According to the company, the second cut affected its network redundancy system, which is designed to provide an alternative route for communications when part of the infrastructure becomes unavailable.

The failure of that backup mechanism contributed to intermittent connections and slower performance across mobile, data and fixed services. Customers reported difficulties accessing the internet and maintaining reliable connectivity, while some reports also described problems with voice calls.

Claro did not identify the locations where the fiber-optic cables were damaged, name the parties responsible or provide a detailed technical account of how the two incidents occurred. The company also did not disclose the total number of subscribers affected.

Reports emerged across several regions

Users began reporting connectivity problems during the day, with complaints appearing on social media and on Downdetector, a platform that tracks user-submitted reports of service disruptions.

Data cited in local coverage showed a sharp increase in reports, with a peak approaching 600 notifications. Downdetector’s incident map indicated concentrations around Greater Santo Domingo and reports from areas including San Cristóbal, Santiago, La Vega and Puerto Plata, as well as locations in the eastern region.

These figures should not be interpreted as a count of affected customers. Downdetector records reports submitted by users, not verified outages or the total number of subscribers experiencing problems. Claro did not publish a breakdown by province or provide an official estimate of the incident’s reach.

Claro confirmed full restoration on Friday

In its initial communication, the telecommunications provider said its technical teams were working to restore connectivity as quickly as possible and apologized for the inconvenience. A later statement confirmed that the affected fixed and mobile services had been fully recovered.

The company said monitoring would continue to check network stability. The restoration announcement marked a change from the earlier situation, when customers were still experiencing interruptions and the company had not provided a recovery timetable.

Customers who continue to experience problems can contact Claro through its official support channels. The company lists 809-220-1111 for service inquiries and complaints. Its Mi Claro app also allows users to report certain service faults and follow the status of their requests.

More information is available through Claro’s official customer support portal.

Indotel calls for explanations and stronger competition

The incident also prompted a response from the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel), the country’s telecommunications regulator. Its president, Guido Gómez Mazara, described the disruption as a technological accident and said he expected Claro to provide institutional explanations about what happened, including the causes and the location of the damaged infrastructure.

In comments reported after the outage, Gómez Mazara also used the incident to highlight the importance of competition in the telecommunications market. He argued that a broader range of operators could contribute to a more competitive and efficient sector.

The official said that two companies account for approximately 95% of the country’s telephone market and cited a figure of 10.4 million people with internet access in the Dominican Republic. Those figures were presented in his public remarks and underline the extent to which households and businesses depend on telecommunications services.

Why network resilience matters to users and businesses

The outage illustrated how damage to physical telecommunications infrastructure can affect services beyond the specific location of a cable cut. Fiber-optic networks carry large volumes of data and support fixed broadband, mobile connectivity and other digital services. Backup routes are intended to reduce the impact of localized failures, but the second cut described by Claro affected the company’s redundancy system.

Reliable connectivity is essential for online banking, digital payments, remote work, business communications, education and access to public and private services. When several services are affected at the same time, even a temporary interruption can create difficulties for customers and organizations that rely on continuous access.

Although Claro announced full restoration on November 6, important questions remain unanswered publicly, including the precise locations of the two fiber cuts, the circumstances in which they occurred and the number of customers affected. The company’s continued network monitoring and any further explanations to Indotel will be relevant to understanding the incident and the measures taken to reduce the risk of similar disruptions.