The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has confirmed that several African internet service providers experienced outages due to cuts in submarine cables, and efforts are underway to restore connectivity, News About Nigeria reports.
In a statement released on Thursday and signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, the NCC disclosed that affected operators included the West African Cable System, African Coast to Europe, SAT3, and MainOne, which all encountered downtime.
The regulator attributed the disruptions to incidents in Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, leading to subsequent disruptions in Portugal.
Additionally, similar challenges were reported along other undersea cable routes, including Seacom, Europe India Gateway, and Asia-Africa-Europe 1, which also experienced cuts.
“Similar undersea cables providing traffic from Europe to the East Coast of Africa, like Seacom, Europe India Gateway, and Asia-Africa-Europe 1, were said to have been cut at some point around the Red Sea, resulting in the degradation of services across these routes,” the statement read.
The disruptions led to frustrations among subscribers on social media platforms, with many citing difficulties in making phone calls and accessing online services.
The NCC assured the public that cable operators had started repair efforts, and services are gradually being restored.
“Operators of these cables have commenced repairs already, and services are gradually being restored. They have promised to work around the clock to ensure that services are restored to the affected countries within the shortest possible time,” the commission stated.
MTN Nigeria, the leading telecommunications provider in the country, acknowledged the situation and assured its subscribers that efforts were underway to resolve the issue and restore services promptly.
This incident comes after a similar network connectivity crisis a few weeks ago, where major operators across the country battled with widespread network outages.
Gbenga Adebayo, the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), attributed the connectivity issue to fibre cuts made by road contractors employed by the Federal Government.
“There have been significant fibre cuts across the country, and this has impacted connectivity today, but efforts are being made by affected telecom operators to rectify this situation,” Adebayo said.
