Damage to multiple undersea cables off the west coast of Africa has resulted in widespread internet outages across the continent, impacting telecommunications companies, banks, and millions of users.
The West Africa Cable System (WACS), MainOne, ACE, and SAT3 cables, vital conduits for international data transmission, suffered faults near Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, causing disruptions in connectivity for West and South African countries. Internet analysis firms, including NetBlocks, Kentik, and Cloudflare, have reported significant outages and connectivity issues as a result.
In Nigeria, telecommunications providers and banks have been severely affected by the outage. MTN, one of the largest telecom operators in the country, acknowledged the challenges faced by its subscribers. The company attributed the slowdown to damage sustained by undersea cables in both East and West Africa. The company assured customers that repair efforts are underway to restore services promptly.
Banking operations have also been impacted, with Sterling Bank confirming network shutdowns and an inability to process transactions. Customers across the country have reported difficulties accessing online services and experiencing poor data connectivity.
The effects of the undersea cable damage extends beyond Nigeria, reaching South Africa, where networks have also been disrupted. Telecom giant Vodacom acknowledged intermittent connectivity issues for certain customers due to the undersea cable failures affecting network providers in the country.
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