Have you ever wondered why you MTN network is not working? Ever wondered what the cause could be?
However, MTN Nigeria has said that the network connectivity disruptions experienced by its customers were due to damage to an overseas undersea cable.
This is, however, not the first time damage to undersea cables has disrupted Internet services on the continent.
In 2018, after the African Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine cable was severed, more than 10 African countries were affected, with Mauritania going offline for 48 hours.
In the current disruption, customers across West Africa are having issues surfing the internet, receiving bank alerts and making calls.
The glitch seemed to have affected both voice and data services, leading to communication disruptions for millions of subscribers.
Concerned subscribers have taken to social media platforms to voice their grievances, expressing frustration over the prolonged network outage and its impact on their daily activities.
Subscribers have reported failed attempts to make calls, while others have expressed concerns about the failure to receive bank alerts.
However, the telco assured its customers that it was actively working to resolve the issue and restore services as quickly as possible.
Undersea Cable Damage
The statement read in part, “Bayobab Group acknowledges the ongoing disruptions affecting connectivity services in several West African countries due to breaks in multiple major undersea cables.
“Recognising the critical importance of consistent internet and communication services, we are fully committed to swiftly addressing these disruptions.
“To mitigate the impact on our customers in the affected countries, our operations are actively working to reroute traffic through alternative network paths and engaging with our consortium partners to expedite the repair process for the damaged cables.
“Leveraging our robust and resilient network infrastructure, we aim to minimise service interruptions and maintain connectivity.
“We thank you for your patience and understanding as we work diligently to resolve this situation,’ the telco stated.
Negative Impact Of Internet Crisis
A few weeks ago, major operators across the country, including MTN, Airtel, and 9Mobile, grappled with a widespread network connection crisis.
Subscribers were unable to make calls due to glitches attributed to a fibre optic cable cut.
However, not having internet access may have a negative impact on people’s mental health.
This could be as a result of people not being able to access their banks, not being able to reach out to loved ones, or not being able to surf the internet, which people do every day.
It could, however, be a source of distress to people when they cannot have access to the internet.
The Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, Gbenga Adebayo, attributed the connectivity issue to the significant fibre cuts made by road contractors employed by the federal government.
The ALTON chairman noted, “There have been significant fibre cuts across the country, and this has impacted connectivity today, but efforts are being made by affected telecom operators to rectify this situation.”
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Similarly, the cable outages were affecting several internet service providers and cloud service providers in South Africa.
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Vodacom said, “Certain customers are currently experiencing intermittent connectivity issues due to multiple undersea cable failures affecting SA’s network providers, including us.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
