technology

Internet problems unsolved

Intered says users will get slower service whenever traffic increases.

Panama's computer users may have had problems connecting to the Internet last week, but it wasn't something that a call to the local Geek Squad could handle.

Intered Panama, which is a consortium of Internet service providers, said that unusually high demand caused the system to encounter problems on Tuesday and Wednesday. Users had trouble sending and receiving e-mails, as well as accessing web sites.

The problems were throughout the network, and affected all of the country's commercial and residential providers.

"The situation was normalized on Wednesday. However, the level of Internet traffic remains high, which continues to require Intered to operate at its maximum processing capacity. The result is that, during peak hours, traffic may be slow on the network," said Francisco Reyes, president of the Intered board of directors.

The provider plans to upgrade its infrastructure to handle the extra traffic, but for now users will have to deal with problems during peak usage.

Intered, which was formed in 1997, became a model for expanding Internet access in the region, according to the Organization of American States (OAS), which funded its formation. Instead of requiring ISPs to establish satellite connections to the United States, it allowed them to create a national access point, which was especially useful for exchanging local information, OAS officials said.