Telco giant issues update on undersea cable cut that resulted in intermittent internet connection
Safaricom PLC has announced that the intermittent internet connectivity issue that affected users over the past weekend is resolved.
In an official statement released on Thursday, May 16, the telecommunications giant announced full restoration of network capacity and stability for its customers following the undersea cable cuts experienced last Sunday across all networks.
“We are pleased to inform our customers and stakeholders that we have now resumed full network capacity and stability following the undersea cable cuts last Sunday. We have achieved this by acquiring additional capacity from other undersea cable providers. We sincerely thank our engineers for their round-the-clock efforts in maintaining connectivity and swiftly onboarding additional capacity from the undersea cables,” Safaricom stated.
Update on the undersea cable cut. pic.twitter.com/SVwKdzWCEp
— Safaricom PLC (@SafaricomPLC) May 16, 2024
Safaricom assured its customers that it is vigilantly monitoring the network to ensure consistent service delivery.
“Meanwhile, we continue to monitor our network to ensure service stability as we collaborate closely with affected undersea cable suppliers to expedite repair works. We apologize to customers who may have experienced slower speeds on our network during this period and appreciate their patience as we worked to restore normalcy.”
Throughout the weekend, internet users in Kenya and across East Africa faced connectivity issues, encountering disruptions and slower speeds.
Internet disruption
On Monday, the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) warned that users may continue to experience intermittent internet access and slower speeds over the next few days as services are being fully restored.
CAK said they received reports of disruptions in data services and traffic congestion on submarine cable internet routes into Kenya.
CAK confirmed that a deep-sea fibre cut had occurred at the Mtunzini teleport station.
“Yesterday, the Authority received reports on intermittent data outages and traffic jam on the submarine cable Internet traffic flow into the country. Upon engaging the relevant industry players, the Authority has established that a deep-sea fibre cut had occurred on the Mtunzini teleport station, affecting a number of submarine cables serving Kenya, including Seacom and the East African Submarine System (Eassy). We wish inform individual and corporate consumers that the recovery process has since commenced but Internet intermittency and slow speeds may remain in the coming few days before services are fully restored,” CAK stated.
The authority said the incident has impacted several vital submarine cables that serve Kenya, including Seacom and the East African Submarine System (Eassy).
CAK has instructed service providers to proactively secure alternative routes for their traffic.
Additionally, they said they are closely monitoring the situation to ensure that both incoming and outbound internet connectivity remains available.
As part of the interim measures, the East Africa Marine System (TEAMS) cable, which remains unaffected by the cut, is currently being utilized for local traffic flow.
Moreover, redundancy measures on the South African route have been activated to minimize further disruptions.
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