BellSouth is replacing damaged copper cables in New Orleans with fiber-optic cables, even though the replacement work will mean that many customers could be without telephone service for several months.

“We are still working to replace copper (wires) with fiber optic because that is what we elected to do,” Keith Hitchens, BellSouth’s regional manager for customer affairs, told the New Orleans City Council on Thursday. “The amount of time it will take is a lot longer than we ever anticipated. We understand the inconvenience that (customers) are going through and their frustration.”

Many of the flooded copper cables are damaged beyond repair and must be replaced; some can be used after the water has been removed, depending on the extent of the damage and the type and age of the cable.

The company has to obtain rights of way to excavate some areas where it has underground cables, Hitchens said, adding to the delays. He said most lines would be returned to service by January or February.

Councilwoman Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson, who represents the Esplanade Ridge area, said that some of her constituents told her BellSouth would not have their lines restored to service until April. “There are still people not coming home. At first they didn’t have lights. Then they didn’t have gas. And now they don’t have phones,” she said. “Do we really have to wait until April?”