Cable outages: NCC says operators are attempting to restore connectivity

The Nigeria Communications Commission has verified that undersea cable disruptions caused outages for a number of African internet service providers , and cable operators are working hard to get connectivity back up.

This information was disclosed by the telecom regulator on Thursday in a statement that was signed by Reuben Muoka, Director of Public Affairs.

The NCC determined that the downed operators were SAT3 and MainOne, as well as West African Cable System and African Coast to Europe.

The agency linked the disturbances to events that transpired in Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire, which therefore led to more disruptions in Portugal.

The commission observed comparable difficulties on other underwater cable systems that also saw interruptions, including Seacom, Europe India Gateway, and Asia-Africa-Europe 1.

According to the FCC, “Services across these routes were said to have been degraded as a result of similar undersea cables, such as Seacom, Europe India Gateway, and Asia-Africa-Europe 1, providing traffic from Europe to the East Coast of Africa, being cut at some point around the Red Sea.”

On Thursday, a large number of users vented their concerns on social media, claiming that they were having trouble calling people and using online services.

The NCC reassured the public that cable operators have started repair efforts and that services will be gradually restored despite the obstacles.

“Operators of these cables have already started repairs, and services are gradually being restored,” the commission said. They have pledged to put in endless hours of effort to guarantee that the impacted nations’ services are restored as soon as feasible.

“It is crucial to make this information about these services known to corporations and customers.”
The major telecom company in the nation, MTN Nigeria, has earlier acknowledged the problem and made a plea to its customers.

Additionally, the company gave them the assurance that it is working to find a solution and get services back up as soon as possible.
Similar problems with a widespread network connection crisis beset major providers nationwide a few weeks earlier, including MTN, Airtel, and 9mobile.

The PUNCH was informed by Gbenga Adebayo, the chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, that the major fiber cuts caused by Federal Government-employed road contractors were the cause of the connection problem.

“There have been significant fibre cuts across the country, and this has impacted connectivity today,” stated the chairman of ALTON, “but affected telecom operators are making efforts to rectify this situation.”