Undersea Cable Issues Cause Major Internet Outage in East Africa

East African nations, including Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda, are facing internet disruptions, with users experiencing slow connectivity across the region. 

Telecom providers have acknowledged the issue, attributing the poor internet service to faults in undersea cables that connect these countries to global networks via South Africa.

Industry experts have identified the root cause of the internet connectivity problems as issues with the undersea cables.

Ben Roberts of Liquid Intelligent Technologies told BBC that the two undersea cables, including one known as the Eastern Africa Submarine System (EASSy) located near Durban, South Africa, were damaged, severely impacting internet traffic. 

Roberts emphasized that the severe situation was not due to sabotage but rather an unfortunate series of events.

Service providers in affected countries have been actively communicating with customers, asking for patience as they work to resolve the internet disruptions. 

Airtel Kenya, responding to a customer’s inquiry, stated, “We are still working with the undersea fiber cable team to resolve the issue,” while Vodacom Tanzania echoed a similar sentiment on social media. 

The impact has been particularly severe in Tanzania, with internet traffic dipping to just 30% of normal levels, as reported by Cloudflare Radar.

The ongoing issues have frustrated users, especially during key events. 

A Kenyan user’s query about streaming a major football match was met with apologies from Airtel Kenya for the network troubles. 

Similarly, Safaricom in Kenya reported challenges and neighboring countries like Uganda and Rwanda mentioned intermittent internet services and degraded international links.

Reports have indicated that the Eassy cable, which runs parallel to the East African coast, was allegedly severed approximately 45km (28 miles) north of Durban, South Africa.

Back in March, regions in West and Southern Africa encountered a comparable internet disruption, impacting nations such as South Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Benin, Ghana, and Burkina Faso. The extensive internet outages were linked to damages suffered by the MainOne and ACE undersea cables.