MainOne Provides Details: Full Internet Restoration in Nigeria, Others May Take a Month, Says West Africa

MainOne, a prominent provider of internet services in western and southern Africa, has issued a statement regarding the recent undersea cable cut that has disrupted internet connectivity in Nigeria and various parts of sub-Saharan Africa. According to MainOne, the repair process for the undersea cable cut may take approximately five weeks to complete.

In their statement, MainOne elaborated on the details of the undersea cable cut and outlined their ongoing efforts to address the issue. The MainOne submarine cable, which plays a crucial role in carrying a significant portion of international internet traffic into West Africa, has been impacted by the incident. As a result, multiple countries across the region are experiencing disruptions in internet services due to the magnitude of the impact on MainOne’s infrastructure.

MainOne’s commitment to resolving the issue highlights the importance of maintaining reliable internet connectivity in the region and underscores the challenges posed by undersea cable cuts. As efforts to repair the cable continue, affected parties are advised to anticipate potential disruptions in internet services and to exercise patience during this period of repair and restoration.

MainOne has stated that it has a maintenance agreement with the Atlantic Cable Maintenance and Repair Agreement (ACMA) to provide repair services for the affected submarine cable. The repair process involves several key steps aimed at restoring connectivity in the region.

Initially, the company will identify and assign a vessel equipped to retrieve the necessary spares required for the repair. Subsequently, the vessel will sail to the location of the fault in the undersea cable to conduct the necessary repair work.

The next step in the repair process involves pulling the affected section of the submarine cable from the seabed onto the ship, where skilled technicians will splice it. Once the repair is completed, joints will be inspected and tested for any defects before the submarine cable is lowered back to the seabed and guided into a suitable position.

According to MainOne, the entire repair process is expected to take approximately five weeks to complete. Throughout this period, efforts will be focused on expediting the repair work to minimize disruptions to internet services in the affected regions.

MainOne has provided further details on the expected timeline for the repair process, indicating that repairs themselves may take 1-2 weeks, while an additional 2-3 weeks may be required for the vessel to retrieve spares and travel from Europe to West Africa once mobilized.

The company has also addressed speculation regarding the cause of the cable disruptions, refuting claims that they may have been caused by human activities or armed groups. MainOne clarified that most submarine cable faults are typically attributed to human activities such as fishing and anchoring in shallow waters near the shore, natural hazards like earthquakes and landslides, or equipment failure.

Given the distance from land and the cable’s depth of approximately 3 kilometers at the point of fault, MainOne has ruled out the possibility of human activities such as ship anchors, fishing, or drilling as potential causes. Preliminary analysis suggests that seismic activity on the seabed may have resulted in the cable break, although more data will be obtained during the repair exercise to confirm this.

By providing this clarification, MainOne aims to address concerns and provide transparency regarding the cause and timeline of the cable disruptions, while also reaffirming its commitment to restoring connectivity in the affected regions as quickly as possible.

MainOne, a leading digital infrastructure service provider, has declared a force majeure in response to the recent internet outage caused by damage to international undersea cables. A force majeure clause in commercial contracts allows service providers to suspend contractual obligations during unforeseeable circumstances such as natural disasters, governmental actions, or infrastructure failures.

The internet outage, affecting many Nigerians including telecommunications companies and banks, was caused by damage to major undersea cables near Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire. MainOne’s network experienced a fault due to an external incident, resulting in a cut on its submarine cable system in the Atlantic Ocean offshore Cote D’Ivoire, along the West African coast.

This disruption has impacted international services on MainOne’s cable south of the landing in Senegal, leading to internet outages for the majority of its customers. MainOne is working diligently to restore services and complete the necessary repairs to the cable system. However, the outage has also affected other cable systems, complicating restoration efforts.

Despite the challenges, MainOne is actively restoring services and mobilizing resources for repairs. The company emphasizes its commitment to maintaining the integrity of submarine cables and promoting proactive regulations to minimize damage. MainOne is optimistic about the timely repair of its cable and the full restoration of services to its customers.