LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Leading Digital Infrastructure Service Providers, have disclosed that repair work on the damaged undersea cable, critical for restoring internet connectivity, is expected to take several weeks.Â
Recall that Telecommunications companies and banks in Nigeria experienced internet outages on Thursday, attributing the disruption to damage on international undersea cables.
The announcement comes after four subsea cable landing service providers, including Africa Coast to Europe (ACE), MainOne (owned by Equinix), South Atlantic 3, and the West Africa Cable System, along with mobile network operators declared a force majeure due to disruptions caused by underwater activity, impacting telecommunications companies and banks in Nigeria.
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According to MainOne’s statement on its website, the decision to declare force majeure was prompted by the testing of its cable system, which revealed disruptions likely caused by underwater activity.
The preliminary assessment indicated that the damage occurred somewhere near Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire, affecting major undersea cables supplying connectivity to West and South African countries.
The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) confirmed that cuts occurred in Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, with disruptions extending to Portugal.
Other major cable companies such as the West African Cable System (WACS) and African Coast to Europe (ACE) reported faults, while SAT3 also experienced downtime.
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The cable companies emphasized its commitment to restoring services to as many customers as possible and completing repairs in record time.
The repair process involves identifying and assigning a vessel to retrieve necessary spares required for repair, sailing to the fault location, and conducting repair work on the affected section of the submarine cable.
The repair timeline provided indicates that the process may take one to four weeks, with additional transit time required for the vessel to pick up spares and travel from Europe to West Africa.
The service providers highlighted that most submarine cable faults result from human activities such as fishing, anchoring, or natural hazards like earthquakes.
While the exact cause of the cable cut is still under investigation, MainOne expressed optimism about repairing the cable and restoring services.Â
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The company reassured customers of ongoing efforts to mitigate service disruptions and emphasized its dedication to promoting submarine cable protection measures in the region.
MainOne, an Equinix company, operates as a leading data center and connectivity solution provider in Nigeria, Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire. plays a crucial role in ensuring reliable internet connectivity across the region.