The Nightmare of the Under-sea Fibre Cut on Major Firms

Companies that rely entirely on internet connectivity to run their daily ventures are most vulnerable to obstruction of this congruence. An example is the recent submarine cable cuts at Mtunzini Teleport station.

A press release on May 13, 2024, by the Communications Authority of Kenya Director General David Mugonyi indicated presumed internet intermittency and slow speeds attributed to the cable disruptions, which affected several cables serving Kenya. The Seacom and the East African Submarine System (EASSY) were among these.

The statement also advised service providers to turn to alternative routes as The East Africa Marine System (TEAMS) was not prone to interference. Mobile Network Operators, including Safaricom, Airtel, and Telkom, posted notices about the disturbance on X and pleaded with their consumers to bear with them amidst the situation as plans for full restoration were afoot.

“While you may experience intermittent service provision during this time, Telkom has put in place mitigation measures to minimize this disruption and keep you connected.” Telkom Kenya notified its users on X.

The magnitude of the circumstance lingers. For local consumers, the effect is minimal, as only international voice calls were tampered with. However, for established firms, this was a nightmare. Telecoms organizations were left counting millions in losses due to the irregularity that occurred for long hours.

NetBlocks, an internet observatory corporation, acknowledged the situation on X, indicating that Kenya was among the 11 affected countries. The post stated the percentages of the incident’s impact on the internet delay for each country. NetBlocks also confirmed that the disturbance was resolved in Kenya and restored connectivity.