Undersea Cable Damage Causes East African Internet Outage

Several countries in East Africa and neighboring regions are grappling with a widespread internet outage, resulting from damage to undersea communication cables, according to a report by the Network Investigation Organization, NetBlocks.

Tanzania, along with the French island of Mayotte, has been particularly affected by this disruption. NetBlocks has identified the SEACOM and EASSy communication cables as the ones that have suffered damage, causing a moderate impact on Mozambique and Malawi.

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However, the issue has been resolved in Kenya, where internet services have returned to normal operation. Additional countries experiencing varying degrees of disruption include Burundi, Somalia, Rwanda, Uganda, Madagascar, and the Comoros Islands.

Although the internet outage in these regions has been relatively minor, it has still posed challenges to accessing online services and information. Yesterday, the Minister of Information, Communication Technology, and Broadcasting, Nape Nnauye, addressed the issue, stating that initial reports from submarine cable providers indicated a fault within their infrastructure. The fault led to a complete loss of internet and international phone services since 5:00 a.m. in Tanzania.

The widespread disruption of internet services has significant implications for the affected countries in East Africa and neighboring regions.

The internet has become an indispensable tool for economic, social, and technological development. It facilitates crucial activities such as business transactions, online education, social connections, and access to information. Prolonged internet outage can severely impact daily activities and disrupt business operations.

To address the situation, submarine cable providers are working diligently to restore internet services in the affected countries. It is expected that a resolution will be reached promptly. In the meantime, governments and relevant organizations should collaborate to implement preventive measures and strengthen communication infrastructure.

Such measures will help avert similar issues in the future and ensure reliable and resilient internet connectivity. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the critical role that the internet plays in the modern world.

It underscores the necessity for continuous investment in robust infrastructure and contingency plans to ensure uninterrupted access to digital services.

As the restoration efforts continue, affected individuals and businesses are encouraged to explore alternative means of connectivity, such as satellite internet or mobile data services, to mitigate the impact on their daily activities.

The internet outage caused by undersea cable damage has affected several East African countries and neighboring regions. Efforts are underway to restore internet connectivity swiftly and minimize the disruption.

Governments, service providers, and relevant stakeholders must collaborate to prevent such incidents in the future and ensure reliable access to internet services for all.