Subsea cable cut: 90% of voice, internet services restored, says NCC

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says voice and data services have been 90 percent restored.

NCC, in a statement signed by Ruben Muoka, its director of public relations, on Monday, said significant steps have been taken, hence the restoration.

On March 14, banks’ services and telecommunications networks were disrupted due to the cuts in subsea cables.

Confirming the development on March 15, NCC had assured repairs have commenced on the damaged subsea cables.

Providing updates on the repair, Muoka said 90 percent of the network has been restored and efforts are ongoing to return to normalcy.

“Following the disruption on March 14, 2024, which affected data and voice services due to cuts in undersea fibre optics along the coasts of Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, we are pleased to announce that services have now been restored to approximately 90% of their peak utilization capacities,” Muoka said.

“All operators who were impacted by the cuts have taken recovery capacity from submarine cables, which were not impacted by the cuts and have thus recovered approximately 90% of their peak utilisation capacities.

“Mobile Network Operators have assured the Commission that data and voice services would operate optimally pending full repairs of the undersea cables as they have managed to activate alternative connectivities to bring back the situation to normalcy.”

NCC also appreciated telecom consumers for their patience and understanding during the downtime caused by the undersea fibre cuts.

Meanwhile, MTN Nigeria, a network provider, in a message to subscribers on Monday, said work continues round-the-clock on recovery efforts.

MTN said while its network has improved, subscribers may still experience glitches with a few services, as the company works towards full restoration.