MASSIVE internet disruptions hit Africa on Thursday, causing widespread disturbances in businesses and communication networks, as reported by local media and the internet observatory Netblocks.
Netblocks, in a statement on X, revealed that live network data showed a significant escalation in telecom disruptions across Africa on Thursday.
The disruptions had a particularly high impact on West Africa, leading to substantial reductions in connectivity throughout the continent, Netblocks reported.
According to My Broadband, an ICT website in South Africa, the outage commenced around 12:30 p.m. (1030GMT) on Thursday. Users reported difficulties accessing the internet and encountering problems with various online services, including LinkedIn, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, X, and Xbox.
‘MyBroadband has learned that multiple outages on undersea cables near Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire are causing downtime. The West Africa Cable System (WACS), the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE), MainOne, and SAT3 cables are affected,’ the report stated.
Netblocks highlighted that Cote d’Ivoire experienced severe disruptions, while Liberia, Benin, Ghana, and Burkina Faso faced significant disruption incidents. On the other hand, South Africa, Lesotho, and Nigeria reported low interruptions, with Cameroon, Gabon, and Namibia experiencing medium interruptions.
A spokesperson for Vodacom, one of South Africa’s largest telecom firms, confirmed multiple subsea cable failures between South Africa and Europe, impacting network providers, including Vodacom. The disruptions have led to intermittent connectivity issues for certain customers, the spokesperson stated, according to a report by local site News24.