A significant internet outage struck multiple African countries on Thursday, attributed to failures in several undersea telecommunication cables, according to network operators and internet monitoring organizations.
The MTN Group, a prominent network provider in Africa, acknowledged the ongoing disruptions, citing failures in multiple major undersea cables. They stated their efforts to reroute traffic through alternative network paths in response to the situation.
Isik Mater, director of research at NetBlocks, noted that while network disruptions due to cable damage have occurred in Africa previously, the current incident appears to be one of the most severe. NetBlocks highlighted a significant disruption to international transits, likely centered around the subsea network cable landing points.
The exact cause of the failures remains unclear, causing concerns about potential disruptions to essential services in heavily affected countries like Ivory Coast. With Africa leading global mobile web traffic, many businesses across the continent rely heavily on internet services for customer delivery.
Among the affected undersea cable systems were the West Africa Cable System (WACS), Africa Coast to Europe (ACE), SAT-3, and MainOne, impacting countries including Ivory Coast, Liberia, Benin, Ghana, and Burkina Faso.
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Cloudflare, an internet analysis firm, identified a pattern in the timing of disruptions, particularly affecting ten West African countries. Vodacom, South Africa's mobile operator, reported intermittent connectivity issues due to the cable failures, with Namibia and Lesotho also experiencing effects.
Isik Mater from NetBlocks warned that the impact of such cable failures extends beyond the initial physical cut, potentially leading to technical issues as networks attempt to route around the damage, thereby reducing available capacity for other countries.
The widespread nature of this outage underscores the vulnerability of Africa's internet infrastructure to such incidents. As businesses and individuals increasingly rely on digital connectivity, ensuring the resilience of undersea cable systems becomes paramount.
What measures can be taken to mitigate the impact of undersea cable failures on internet connectivity in Africa? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
References:
1. MTN Group: Statement | Bayobab Group Acknowledges Connectivity Disruptions Due to Undersea Cable Damage
2. AP News: Internet outage hits several African countries as undersea cables fail
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