Telecom companies have stepped in to help customers by waiving some data fees in the wake of Hurricane Ernesto.

Paradise Mobile said it was offering a free service with unlimited data for seven days, while One Communications said mobile data used from August 16 to 23 would not incur additional charges.

Digicel also said it would not charge any postpaid plan data overages on existing plans from August 16 through August 23 and prepaid customers would get double data on all its Prime Ultra bundles.

Ernesto brought 36 hours of hurricane or tropical-storm-force winds from Friday as it hit the island as a Category 1 storm.

Although damage was relatively minor, at its peak the hurricane knocked out power to almost 27,000 Belco customers, affecting internet connections.

A Paradise spokeswoman said: “In the wake of Hurricane Ernesto, Paradise Mobile is stepping up to support the community by offering free service with unlimited data for seven days.

“This gesture is part of the company’s commitment to ensuring that everyone in Bermuda stays connected during the recovery period.”

Sam Tabbara, Paradise Mobile CEO, said: “The fact that our network stayed up during Hurricane Ernesto is a testament to our dedication to keeping Bermuda connected, no matter what.”

He added: “In moments like these, our commitment to Bermuda goes beyond business. We’re here to support our neighbours in any way we can.”

One Communications CEO Niall Sheehy said the company recognised the “critical importance of staying connected during and after significant events like Hurricane Ernesto”.

He added: “To support our customers during this time, any mobile data used from the period when Bermuda was impacted by Hurricane Ernesto on August 16, until August 23, will not incur additional charges.”

Mr Sheehy said that almost 90 per cent of One Communication’s mobile infrastructure remained operational at the height of the storm, “ensuring our customers could maintain essential communications”.

“Although our fixed network has been impacted by power outages, our teams are working diligently to restore service as power is gradually brought back online,” he added.

“The percentage of our customers currently offline closely aligns with the number of homes reported to be without power.”

Yesterday at 4.30pm, just under 5,000 Belco customers were still without electricity with the number falling quickly.

“In some areas, while customers may have power, there could still be issues with the power supply to our equipment serving their area. Services should resume as soon as power is restored to those affected sites.

“We extend our heartfelt thanks to our dedicated teams and all responders, who have been working tirelessly around the clock, starting from 7pm after the storm passed, to restore and maintain our services for Bermuda,” added Mr Sheehy.

According to Liam Donnelly, Digicel Bermuda CEO, 90 per cent of the firm’s mobile sites remained active throughout the storm.

“This meant that most Digicel mobile customers remained connected to loved ones, with voice and data service, during a time when they needed it most.”

He said all but one mobile site, located on Tudor Hill, had fully recovered and that engineers were working to restore the firm to “100 per cent network functionality”.

“We would like to thank our service teams and engineers, whose efforts ensured our network remained strong and minimised downtime for our customers,” Mr Donnelly said.

“We are also grateful to our customers for their patience and understanding as we finalise recovery efforts.

“As a thank-you to customers, Digicel will not charge any postpaid plan overages on current plans from August 16 through August 23 and prepaid customers can enjoy double data on all Prime Ultra bundles,” added Mr Donnelly.

The Paradise spokeswoman said the deadline to sign up for the seven-day offer was Friday.