It has been reported that internet service disruptions for millions of users in Africa could take weeks or even months to repair. The disruption was said to have been caused by damage to an undersea cable off the continent’s west coast.
A second day of major connectivity outages occurred in eight West African countries on Friday (March 15), with users in South Africa also affected where four submarine cables were damaged, Bloomberg reported. . The cause of the cable break is still unknown, but one possibility is seafloor movement.
Countries affected by outage
Data shows eight West African countries are experiencing major connectivity disruptions, with Ivory Coast, Liberia and Benin the most affected, internet watchdog Netblocks said in a post on X. Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon are also among the affected countries. Several businesses in South Africa have also reported service disruptions. Ghana’s National Communications Authority said there were also cable outages in Senegal and Portugal.
“Repairs could take weeks to months, depending on the damage, what needs to be repaired, and local weather conditions,” a spokesperson for Internet analytics firm Cloudflare told Bloomberg. . “The allocation of repair vessels will depend on a number of factors, including the ownership of the affected cables.”
Companies affected
Affected companies include West Africa Cable System, MainOne, South Atlantic 3 and ACE sea Cable. MTN Group, one of Africa’s largest wireless operators, announced that ACE and WACS will jointly begin the repair process and will send a ship to repair the damaged cable.
Orange Marine said that it is one of the specialized companies involved in cable repair work, adding that other companies are also involved in various cable repair works. The timing of repairs has not yet been determined.
Ghana’s main stock exchange extended trading hours by an hour on Thursday and Friday, while Nigeria’s second-largest cement maker suffered damage to four undersea cables off Africa’s west coast, disrupting operations across the continent. , canceled a conference call with investors.
“This is a devastating blow to internet connectivity along Africa’s west coast, which will continue to operate in a degraded state for weeks to come,” said Doug Madley, director at internet analytics firm Kentick. .
A second day of major connectivity outages occurred in eight West African countries on Friday (March 15), with users in South Africa also affected where four submarine cables were damaged, Bloomberg reported. . The cause of the cable break is still unknown, but one possibility is seafloor movement.
Countries affected by outage
Data shows eight West African countries are experiencing major connectivity disruptions, with Ivory Coast, Liberia and Benin the most affected, internet watchdog Netblocks said in a post on X. Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon are also among the affected countries. Several businesses in South Africa have also reported service disruptions. Ghana’s National Communications Authority said there were also cable outages in Senegal and Portugal.
“Repairs could take weeks to months, depending on the damage, what needs to be repaired, and local weather conditions,” a spokesperson for Internet analytics firm Cloudflare told Bloomberg. . “The allocation of repair vessels will depend on a number of factors, including the ownership of the affected cables.”
Companies affected
Affected companies include West Africa Cable System, MainOne, South Atlantic 3 and ACE sea Cable. MTN Group, one of Africa’s largest wireless operators, announced that ACE and WACS will jointly begin the repair process and will send a ship to repair the damaged cable.
Orange Marine said that it is one of the specialized companies involved in cable repair work, adding that other companies are also involved in various cable repair works. The timing of repairs has not yet been determined.
Expanding
“This is a devastating blow to internet connectivity along Africa’s west coast, which will continue to operate in a degraded state for weeks to come,” said Doug Madley, director at internet analytics firm Kentick. .
