Internet users across Africa felt the pain of a digital disconnect this week as Africa’s undersea cables suffered severe damage. The damage, for unknown reasons, affected major cables such as WACS, MainOne, SAT3, and ACE, paralyzing digital connectivity in the region.
Liberia, for example, was cut off from the online world for more than 12 hours and suffered the brunt of the outage. Other West African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast and even South Africa, have experienced significant speed slowdowns, leaving frustrated users struggling to access the internet.
Many people like me have had to rely on satellite connectivity, and services like Starlink have become unexpectedly valuable. As service providers work to reroute traffic and repairs proceed, experiences like this could mean your smoothly scrolling Instagram feed and lag-free video calls are at the mercy of tantruming sharks and marine accidents. A stark reminder that there is.
Meanwhile, the incident exposes the raw nerves of Africa’s digital landscape. This is a wake-up call that highlights the need for greater redundancy and diversification in the continent’s infrastructure.
Whether it’s a rogue anchor or a hungry shark with a penchant for fiber optic cable, all I know is that a reliable internet connection is a luxury I’ll miss when it’s gone.
Now it is worth more than a treasure.
– emmanuel
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