Faulty undersea cables to be fully restored in a minimum of 5 weeks – NCA
The National Communications Authority (NCA) has provided an update regarding the recent disruptions in Internet connectivity experienced by Ghana and other African nations due to damage incurred by undersea cables. According to the NCA, the restoration process for these cables is anticipated to be completed within a minimum period of five weeks.
This disclosure emerged from a communiqué issued by the Authority on Saturday, March 16, subsequent to a face-to-face session with the four subsea cable landing service providers, namely ACE, MainOne, SAT-3, and WACS. The meeting, which also saw the participation of three major mobile network operators – AirtelTigo, MTN, and Telecel – aimed to deliberate on the current state of affairs and outline the forthcoming course of action.
The NCA revealed that the aforementioned service providers have remotely pinpointed the approximate locations of the damages and have initiated arrangements to dispatch repair vessels for assessment and restoration purposes.
“Based on the above, the subsea cable landing service providers have indicated an estimated time frame of a minimum of five (5) weeks for full service restoration from the time the vessels are dispatched to the various locations,” stated the Authority.
In addition to offering updates on the situation, the meeting facilitated discussions on strategies to navigate the ongoing Internet shutdown. Top executives from the four subsea cable landing service providers were in attendance. The NCA reiterated its dedication to collaborative efforts with stakeholders to resolve the Internet disruption.
“We anticipate some enhancement in data services in the forthcoming days as operators endeavor tirelessly to reinstate full connectivity,” the statement further noted.
Furthermore, the NCA encouraged mobile network operators (MNOs), Internet service providers (ISPs), and other relevant entities to actively engage in the operations of the Ghana Internet Exchange (GIX). This move is envisioned to ensure efficient local content delivery and seamless Internet traffic exchange at a domestic level.