Internet service disruption: MainOne warns of five-week wait for submarine cable repair

Nigerians and many across West Africa brace for potentially sluggish internet as MainOne, a leading provider of submarine cable systems, revealed repairs on their damaged cable could take up to five weeks.

The announcement came on Friday after the company identified a fault on its network on Thursday, attributing it to an external incident causing a cut along the West African coast.

MainOne outlined the repair process, which includes mobilizing a specialized vessel to retrieve parts from Europe before heading to the fault location off the coast of Côte d’Ivoire for repairs. The entire process is estimated to take approximately five weeks to complete.

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The technology firm revealed that it had a maintenance agreement with the Atlantic Cable Maintenance and Repair Agreement to provide repair services for its submarine cable.

The repair procedure involves inspecting and testing the cable joints for defects, followed by lowering the cable back to the seabed and guiding it to an optimal position.

It further explained that the process, which includes mobilising a vessel to retrieve necessary parts from Europe and transit to West Africa, is estimated to take approximately five weeks to complete.

The statement read in part, “We have a maintenance agreement with Atlantic Cable Maintenance and Repair Agreement to provide repair services for the submarine cable. First, identify and assign a vessel, the vessel has to retrieve the necessary spares required for repair, and then sail to the fault location to conduct the repair work.

“Next, in order to complete the repair, the affected section of the submarine cable will have to be pulled from the seabed onto the ship where it will be spliced by skilled technicians. Post repair, joints will be inspected and tested for any defects, and then the submarine cable is lowered back to the seabed and guided to a good position.

“This process might take 1-2 weeks for repairs while about 2-3 weeks of transit time may be required for the vessel to pick up the spares and travel from Europe to West Africa once the vessel is mobilised,.”.

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This news comes as a blow to many who rely on a stable internet connection for work, communication, and entertainment. While alternative routes may exist, increased traffic could lead to slower service. MainOne has assured customers they are working diligently to restore service as quickly as possible.