Undersea Cable Damage Causes Internet Outage Across Africa.
On Thursday, March 14, a significant undersea cable damage disrupted internet services not only in Nigeria but also across several African countries, causing widespread connectivity issues. The disruption affected nations such as South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Cameroon, Benin, and others.
The incident, centered near Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire, impacted major undersea cables critical for telecommunications data transmission, leading to downtime across West and South African regions.
Vodacom, in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), acknowledged the connectivity issues faced by some customers due to the undersea cable failures, expressing regret for any inconvenience caused.
Moreover, the outage had a ripple effect on various services, including Microsoft Azure and Office 365. Financial news organization Bloomberg reported that the West Africa Cable System, MainOne, and ACE sea cables, vital arteries for telecommunications data, were among those affected.
In Nigeria, the internet outage disrupted bank networks, hampering transaction processing. MTN, responding to customer complaints about poor internet connectivity, attributed the issue to damage on international undersea cables across East and West Africa. The company assured customers that repair efforts were underway to resolve the situation promptly.
This recent outage compounds the challenges faced by the region’s internet infrastructure. Just last week, subsea cable operator Seacom encountered a service-affecting outage in the Red Sea, awaiting permits to begin repairs. The Red Sea route serves as a crucial telecommunications link, connecting Europe to Africa and Asia via Egypt. The damaged cables, estimated to carry about 25% of regional traffic, were re-routed through alternative channels, including the west coast of Africa.
As repair efforts continue, businesses and individuals across Africa brace for potential disruptions in online services, highlighting the vulnerability of undersea cable infrastructure and the critical need for robust backup systems and contingency plans.
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