Undersea Cable Disruptions: Operators announce timeline for internet restoration

The National Communications Authority (NCA) has revealed that operators have set a five-week estimated timeline for fully restoring data services after undersea cable disruptions impacted ACE, MainOne, SAT-3, and WACS.

During a recent face-to-face meeting with top management from subsea cable landing service providers and mobile network operators (MNOs) such as AT, MTN, and Telecel, the NCA received updates and discussed future strategies.

In a press release, the NCA stated that subsea cable landing service providers have remotely identified the damaged areas and are readying repair vessels for physical assessment and restoration, in collaboration with international partners in the sub-region.

"The subsea cable landing service providers have remotely identified the approximate locations of the damage and have made preparations to dispatch repair vessels to the location for physical assessment and restoration," the release said.

"Based on the above, the subsea cable landing service providers have indicated an estimated time frame of a minimum of five weeks for full service restoration from the time the vessels are dispatched to the various locations."

Acknowledging the significant impact on economic, academic, and social activities, the NCA assured the public of ongoing collaboration with stakeholders. Meanwhile, operators are expected to gradually improve data services while tirelessly working to restore full connectivity.

To ensure efficient local content delivery and seamless Internet traffic exchange, the NCA urged MNOs, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and other providers to actively engage in the operations of the Ghana Internet Exchange (GIX).

Ghana, along with several African countries including Nigeria, South Africa, Niger, and Cote d'Ivoire, has experienced limited internet services since Thursday morning when the disruptions were first detected.