Internet Outage in Africa to Last for 3 Weeks, As Glo 1 Remains Unaffected

Do you know that the internet outage which hit Nigeria and some other African Countries may persist for up to five weeks, according to latest reports.

One of the undersea cable companies affected by the service disruptions, MainOne, said in a statement on Friday evening that the situation might persist for two to three weeks for the problem to be fixed.

It explained further that investigations revealed that the fault came from an external incident that resulted in a cut on the submarine cable sustem in the ocean.

MainOne said the rectification of the fault involves identifying and assigning a vessel to "retrieve the necessary spares required for repair, and then sail to the fault location to conduct the repair work. This process might take one or two weeks for repairs while about two to three weeks of transit time may be required for the vessel to pick up the spares and travel from Europe to West Africa once the vessel is mobilised".

Most countries in Africa and especially Nigeria has experience widespread internet disruptions as a result of damage to the international underwater cable that provides the nations with internet connection. The outage has impacted banks and telecommunications organizations that depend on the impacted cables for internet services.

Major undersea cables close to Abijan, Ivory Coast, are reportedly damaged, and this has caused internet outgaes in West and South African narions. The West Africa Cable System (WACS), the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE), MainOne, and SAT3 are the undersea cables  that have been impacted.

Glo 1, which is owned by Globacom, the largest provider of digital services in Nigeria, was un touched by the damage and is still running as usual. Glo 1-powered financial institutions, internet service providers, and data consumers have all carried on with business as usual.

Industry observers are of the view that Glo 1 International Submarine Cable's resilient construction and durability are the reasons the damage did not compromise the cable.

In an unprecedented wave of digital disruption, thirtee  African countries are grappling with widespread internet outages, throwing buisnesses, communication networks, and daily life into disarray.

From the western reaches of the continent to its central tip, millions of individuals find themselves severed from the digital world, facing an uncertain timeline for restoration.

The affected nations include Nigeria, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Liberia, Benin, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Togo, Cameroun, Gabon, Namibia, Niger, and Lesotho.