NCA: Stable internet could take 5 weeks to be restored

The National Communications Authority (NCA) has disclosed that it could take up to five weeks to fully restore stable internet services following the recent faults in undersea cables.

In a press release issued after a meeting with the four subsea cable landing service providers (ACE, MainOne, SAT-3, and WACS), the NCA revealed that subscribers will have to endure further disruptions until the repairs are completed.

The undersea cable faults have led to significant interruptions in stable internet services, affecting not only Ghana but also several other African countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Benin, and Burkina Faso.

According to the NCA, the subsea cable landing service providers have remotely identified the locations of the damage and are preparing to dispatch repair vessels to assess and restore them.

However, the estimated time frame for full service restoration is at least five weeks from the dispatch of repair vessels to the affected locations.

The meeting, attended by top management from both the service providers and mobile network operators (AT, MTN, and Telecel), aimed to discuss updates and the way forward in addressing the disruptions.

Acknowledging the impact on economic, academic, and social activities, the NCA assured the public of its commitment to collaborate with relevant stakeholders.

While operators continue to work on restoring full connectivity, the Authority anticipates some improvement in  stable internet services in the coming days.

Additionally, the NCA encouraged all providers to actively engage with the operations of the Ghana Internet Exchange (GIX) to ensure efficient local content delivery and seamless internet traffic exchange locally.

Further updates on the situation will be communicated as they become available.

Full NCA STATEMENT

Undersea cable disruptions affect data services

Airport City, Accra, Saturday, 16th March, 2024, 1900GMT: Further to our last update, the National Communications Authority (NCA) wishes to inform the public that:

1. The Authority this afternoon held a face-to-face meeting with all four (4) subsea cable landing service providers (ACE, MainOne, SAT-3 and WACS); and the three (3) mobile network operators (AT, MTN and Telecel).
2. The meeting was attended by the top management of the above providers and operators to receive updates and to discuss the way forward.
3. The Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and subsea cable landing service providers continue to work with their international partners in the sub-region to progressively add more capacity for data services as it becomes available.
4. The subsea cable landing service providers have remotely identified the approximate locations of the damage and have made preparations to dispatch repair vessels to the location for physical assessment and restoration.
5. 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.
6. The NCA recognizes the impact the disruptions have had on economic, academic and social activities and assures the public of its commitment to continue collaborating with relevant stakeholders. We expect some improvement in data services in the coming days while the operators work around the clock to restore full connectivity.
7. The NCA encourages MNOs, Internet Service Providers, and all other providers to actively participate in the operations of the Ghana Internet Exchange (GIX) in order to ensure an efficient local content delivery and a seamless Internet traffic exchange locally.
8. New developments will be communicated when available.