The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has confirmed the restoration of voice and data services affected by undersea cable cuts along the coasts of Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, bringing relief to telecommunications users across affected regions.
In a statement issued on Monday by Rueben Muoka, the Director of Public Affairs at NCC, it was disclosed that services have now been reinstated to approximately 90% of their peak utilization capacities following the disruption on March 14, 2024.
Muoka expressed satisfaction with the swift resolution, stating, “Following the disruption on March 14, 2024, which affected data and voice services due to cuts in undersea fibre optics along the coasts of Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, we are pleased to announce that services have now been restored to
approximately 90% of their peak utilization capacities,” the statement read.
“All operators who were impacted by the cuts have taken recovery capacity from submarine cables which were not impacted by the cuts, and have thus recovered approximately 90% of their peak utilisation capacities.”
Acknowledging the challenges faced by telecom consumers during the outage, Muoka extended appreciation for their patience and understanding throughout the period of disruption.
Furthermore, Muoka assured that Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) have activated alternative connectivities to ensure optimal operation of data and voice services until full repairs are completed on the undersea cables.
The restoration comes as a relief to telecommunications subscribers and bank users who faced difficulties in digital transactions and internet communications since the disruption occurred on Thursday.
Mobile network operators like MTN and several banks had attributed the network outage to a subsea cable cut in the Atlantic Ocean offshore Cote D’Ivoire.
The disruption, caused by undersea fibre cuts, had prompted concerns across Nigeria, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Senegal, and other West African and East African countries. MainOne, a submarine cable company, had initially estimated a repair timeline of up to two weeks to rectify the undersea cable cut.
