Undersea cable cuts: Telcos apologise for network outages

Telecommunications operators in Nigeria have apologised to users for outages on their different networks caused by damage to multiple submarine cables along the West African Coast.

The appeal was made in a statement signed by the Chairman, Association of Licenced Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, and the Executive Secretary of ALTON, Mr. Gbolahan Awonuga.

Adebayo said that on behalf of its members, it wished to assure users of communication services that repair processes were ongoing by the responsible international service providers.

Supreme News reports that a combination of cable cuts resulted in equipment faults on major undersea cables along the West African Coast.

The issue negatively impacted data and fixed telecom services in several West African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, and Ivory Coast, among others.

The cuts occurred somewhere in Ivory Coast and Senegal, with an attendant disruption in Portugal.

Cable companies such as West African Cable System (WACS) and African Coast to Europe (ACE) in the West Coast route from Europe have experienced faults, while SAT3 and MainOne have downtime.

Adebayo said that the unfortunate development had impacted data and internet service delivery by some of its members.

“We highly regret any inconveniences caused by the damage to the submarine fibre optic cable on the international waterways.

“We seek your continuous understanding on behalf of our members, “he said.