Undersea Cable Damage Causes Internet Outage in Nigeria: Telcos and Banks Impacted

In a recent development, Nigeria is facing a significant internet outage due to damage to undersea cables near Abidjan. This disruption has had far-reaching consequences, affecting telecommunications companies and banks in the region. Major undersea cables such as WACS, ACE, MainOne, and SAT3 have been impacted, leading to widespread connectivity issues across West and South African countries.

Telecommunications giants like MTN have reported a decline in service quality, with subscribers experiencing poor data connectivity. MTN has officially acknowledged the challenges faced by its customers, attributing the connectivity issues to the undersea cable damage that spans across East and West Africa.

The banking sector has also been hit hard by this internet outage. Sterling Bank in Nigeria is among the financial institutions grappling with network shutdowns and disruptions in transaction processing. The inability to access stable internet connectivity has hampered banking operations, causing inconvenience to customers and businesses relying on these services.

The repercussions of this undersea cable damage extend beyond Nigeria, reaching South Africa and other countries along Africa’s West coast. Multiple undersea cables crucial for international connectivity have experienced outages, highlighting the vulnerability of these infrastructure components. However, operators like WIOCC with redundant capacity have managed to mitigate the impact on their customers.