By Stephen Ubanna
For much of Thursday, March 16, 2024, and now, Communications with the international Community, business transactions and Internet banking in Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal , Cote d’Ivoire, all West African countries and some Central and East African countries appears to have been made worse due to damaged undersea cables , managed by MainOne, a Multinational Submarine Company off the coast of CoteIvoire.
The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, under the close watch of Aminu Maida, had confirmed that Main One, operators of the damaged international undersea cables had caused the internet disruptions in the West , Central and East African countries on its Data Center but currently working round the clock to ensure that services are restored to the affected countries within the shortest possible to reduce the worsening the economic hardship in the affected countries.
The Authorities of MinOne West, Central and East African Data center, had said on Friday, March 16, 2024, that the internet outage that had hit the West, Central and East African countries was caused by a break in its submarine cable systems.The Company had reported that an undisclosed external incident, had resulted in a cut in its cable system in the Atlantic ocean , offshore Coted’Ioire along the coast of West Africa.
Given the distance of the undersea cable to the Land put at about 1.3 Kms, at the point of cut , may have informed why the company has’’ ruled out any form of human activity, ship anchors, fishing , and oil drilling operations to be instrumental to the cause of the internet disruptions in some of these African countries on its website’’.
Nigeria, may have been worse hit by the MainOne internet disruptions as the most advanced country in the West and Central African sub-regions with internet infrastructure. This is because the damage on its undersea fibre cable had disrupted Local, state and Federal government services, including the Organised Private Sector, OPS, business transactions and Financial markets that it has taken a toll on cash withdrawals and transfer of funds by Customers from the banks and other Financial Institutions.
There is no gain saying the fact since the undersea cable cut happened offshore the coast of Coted’Ivoire, financial transactions, particular, in the West and Central African sub-regions were said been blocked as information transmission were disrupted. This appears to have became pronounced as people lost contact with their oversea Customers as a result of the internet disruption which many believe had ‘’hampered their business activities’’.
An insider told The Value News online Magazine that repairing undersea fibre cables cut may not be as simple as people may think, describing it as’’ a vey complex and time consuming process’’ that could take several weeks or even months to complete, depending on the damage nature and the cable’s location.
Unlike conventional copper wire which can be repaired within one week , Fibre optic cables, according to an insider are repaired in the same way that they are spliced, meaning that the bad section must be completely removed and the remaining fibre optic section carefully splice to avoid a repeat of the disruption of its operations in the Future.
A source confirmed that it cost between 600 and 1000, US, dollars to replace a damaged fibre optic cables and between $15,000 to $20,000 to repair such a damaged fibre. It could cost that much because fibre optic cables are believed to be more expensive than the traditional copper cables.
The prices of the fibre optic cables may have been increasing over the years due to the advancement s in technology and increased demand by undersea internet companies.
The high cost of the fibre optic cables may have given an insight why MainOne, the Submarine Company , had said that restoring internet services i Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Coted’Ivoire and some East African countries will take close two weeks to repair the damaged section of undersea cable cut which had disrupted th services in some countries in the West, Central and East African sub-regions since Thursday, March 15, 2024.
The Management of MainOne, the undersea cable operators in Nigeria and other African countries had said that ‘’the restoration capacity for temporary relief would be made available to Customers which it was said to have already done that `was said to brought back life to the African countries that were initially cut off from the world int facilty due to the undersea cable systems cut.
As a prelude to prevent a similar o`cc“urence of disruption of internet services in Nigeria and other African countries in the future the Multinational Submarine Company was said to have informed the African countries on its internet data Centre that the company will do some pre- configured restoration capacity on the fibre cable systems, which are down currently.
The company which had since acquired available capacity to repair damaged undersea cables systems has regretted that it has not found a readily available technology ‘’to fully restore services to customers whenever there is disruption of its services at any time there is a fibre cable system laid undersea cut tat could disrupt its operations.
