Underground cable
Undersea cable damage sparks internet outage crisis in Nigeria, SA
In Nigeria, a widespread internet outage has struck telecommunication companies and banks due to damage to critical undersea cables responsible for supplying connectivity.
The damage, located near Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire, has caused disruptions across West and South African nations.
Major undersea cables affected include the West Africa Cable System (WACS), Africa Coast to Europe (ACE), MainOne, and SAT3.
Consequently, several bank networks in Nigeria have been incapacitated, rendering them unable to process transactions. Additionally, subscribers, notably those of MTN, have reported significant degradation in data services since Thursday morning.
In response to mounting customer complaints, MTN issued a statement attributing the connectivity issues to the damaged undersea cables across East and West Africa. The company reassured customers that repair efforts were underway to rectify the situation promptly.
Among the affected banks in Nigeria is Sterling Bank, whose network shutdown prevented transaction processing. A visit to one of the bank’s branches in Lagos confirmed the widespread network outage, prompting staff to advise customers against branch hopping as the issue was pervasive. The bank’s mobile app also suffered downtime, further hindering customer transactions.
WIOCC, a major player in the region, confirmed outages affecting multiple undersea cables along Africa’s West coast. However, the Equiano cable, on which WIOCC holds capacity, remains unaffected, ensuring continued service provision to their customers.
South African telecom giant Vodacom acknowledged the cable failures, apologizing for resulting connectivity issues and assuring customers of efforts to resolve the situation promptly.