Internet Outage: Repair Of Damaged Undersea Cables Begins Today

The National Communications Authority (NCA) has announced repair works on disrupted undersea internet connection cables which impacted internet services in the country a few days ago will begin today.

The NCA in an update said Submarine Cable Service Providers for South Atlantic Telecommunication Cable 3 (SAT-3), one of the four providers, will reach the spot of damage on March 29 and begin repairs immediately.

“SAT-3 expects that the repair works will be completed by the second week of April, barring any unforeseen circumstances,” it communicated.

Meanwhile, the remaining three providers for African Coast to Europe (ACE), West Africa Cable System (WACS) and MainOne are expected to reach the damaged spot by April 8 after jointly commissioning a repair vessel on March 24.

All things being equal, the Authority said, restoration of the cables would be completed on May 9, 2024, as damage on ACE is expected to be completed by April 17, WACS by April 28 and MainOne by May 9.

However, it noted, “The general public is reminded to note that these dates are tentative and that the Authority will issue an update in the event of new developments.”

SAT-3 is a submarine communications cable linking Portugal and Spain to South Africa, with connections to several West African countries along the route.

Main One Cable is a submarine communications cable stretching from Portugal to South Africa with landings along the route in various West African countries.

The West Africa Cable System (WACS) is a submarine communications cable linking South Africa with the United Kingdom along the west coast of Africa.

Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) is an optical-fibre submarine cable system serving 24 countries on Europe, the west coast and South Africa.