By Africa Links 24
Published on 2024-03-19 14:39:00
Several West African countries have been facing significant internet outages since last Thursday due to damage to several undersea fibreoptic cables. Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Nigeria, and Ghana are among the worst-hit countries, with even South Africa feeling the impact. The outage aligns with a series of sabotage incidents involving undersea cables on the opposite side of the continent, suspected to be the work of Yemen-based Houthi rebels. The damaged cables in West Africa include the West Africa Cable System (WACS), Africa Coast to Europe (ACE), MainOne, and SAT3, with MainOne attributing the disruption to environmental factors like landslides and earthquakes.
The economic repercussions of the outage are significant, with banks in multiple countries forced to close and mobile internet users experiencing slow connection speeds. Repairing the damage is estimated to take around five weeks, factoring in the time required for repair vessels to reach the affected area.
Undersea telecommunication cables are crucial for the global economy, enabling the growth of internet-based businesses and tech ecosystems in many African countries. However, these connections are vulnerable to various threats, including deliberate sabotage, natural disasters, and even shark bites. African countries are particularly susceptible due to their limited cable connections, with some countries having only a single cable connection, making them highly reliant on a single point of failure. On the other hand, countries like South Africa with multiple cable connections can reroute traffic in case of an outage.
Telecoms operator MTN is working on restoring services in West Africa and is looking to enhance the resilience of its networks by improving interconnections along the west and east coasts. While fibreoptic cables are the primary means of delivering internet services, satellite internet is an alternative option. However, satellite internet tends to be slower and more expensive. Efforts to expand satellite internet technology, such as Elon Musk’s Starlink service, are still in the early stages in Africa.
In conclusion, the recent internet outages in West Africa highlight the fragility of undersea cable connections and the need for improved network resilience in the region. As countries continue to expand their digital infrastructure, ensuring the stability and redundancy of internet connections will be crucial for economic development and connectivity in the future.
