East Africa was plunged into a state of digital distress over the weekend as a major sub-sea fibre cut disrupted internet connectivity across the region. The aftermath of this incident rippled through East Africa and South Africa, leaving internet users grappling with sluggish speeds and intermittent outages.
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The disruption, caused by a significant cut in a submarine cable, sent shockwaves through the digital infrastructure, impacting several internet service providers (ISPs). From Safaricom to Liquid Telecom, industry giants scrambled to mitigate the fallout and restore stable internet access to their customers.
Safaricom, one of the region’s telecom behemoths, reassured users of its commitment to minimizing service interruption through the activation of redundancy measures. Despite these efforts, users reported experiencing frustration over unusually slow speeds, underscoring the severity of the situation.
Ben Roberts, Group Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Liquid Telecom shed light on the extent of the damage, revealing faults in critical undersea cables such as the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) and Seacom. The outage not only disrupted connectivity within East Africa but also severed vital links between the region and South Africa.
Compounding the issue, Roberts highlighted additional cuts in key submarine cables in the Red Sea, exacerbating an already dire situation. With cables like Seacom, EIG, and AAE1 left unrepaired, the resilience of East Africa’s internet infrastructure faced a stern test.
The repercussions of this incident extend beyond mere inconvenience, raising concerns about the region’s digital resilience and the vulnerabilities inherent in its connectivity infrastructure. As businesses rely increasingly on digital channels and remote work becomes the norm, the reliability of Internet services emerges as a critical lifeline for economic activity and social connectivity.
