Voice and data services has been 90% restored after undersea cable cuts, says NCC.
Glamtush reports that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says voice and data services affected by undersea cable cuts along the Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal coasts have been restored.
This online news platform understands that this was contained in a statement on Monday by the Director of Public Affairs in NCC, Reuben Muoka, said services have now been restored to approximately 90% of their peak utilization capacities.
The statement read, “Following the disruption on March 14, 2024, which affected data and voice services due to cuts in undersea fibre optics along the coasts of Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, we are pleased to announce that services have now been restored to approximately 90% of their peak utilisation capacities.
“All operators who were impacted by the cuts have taken recovery capacity from submarine cables which were not impacted by the cuts, and have thus recovered approximately 90% of their peak utilisation capacities.
“Mobile Network Operators have assured the commission that data and voice services would operate optimally pending full repairs of the undersea cables as they have managed to activate alternative connectivities to bring back the situation to normalcy.
“We extend our appreciation to telecom consumers for their patience and understanding during the downtime caused by the undersea fibre cuts.”
Since Thursday, telecommunications subscribers and bank users have been stranded as a subsea cable cut in the Atlantic Ocean offshore Cote D’Ivoire, along the coast of West Africa paralysed digital transactions and internet communications. Mobile network operators like MTN and some banks have attributed the network outage to a subsea cable cut in the Atlantic Ocean.
Submarine cable company, MainOne, had said it might take up to two weeks to repair the undersea cable cut that disrupted internet services in Nigeria, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Senegal, and other West African and East African countries in the last four days.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, on Sunday, announced plans to spearhead a global collaboration aimed at enhancing the protection of undersea cables.
The minister said it was imperative to review international laws and foster partnerships with regional and global bodies to accelerate efforts to safeguard this vital infrastructure.
The minister said submarine cable cut, while disruptive, are proving to be a catalyst for resilience and growth in our digital economy.
He commended the telcos, Globacom, West Indian Ocean Cable Company, MTN, and MainOne, who have demonstrated commendable selflessness by collaborating to mitigate the impact of these cable cut.
