Telcos update Nigerians on internet disruption as banking activities halt

Telecommunication companies in Nigeria have updated customers on the challenges with internet service delivery experienced across the country.

This comes as banks and telecommunication companies operating within the country continue to experience sustained challenges with internet connectivity.

According to Vanguard, the break in internet connectivity is due to damage to international undersea cables supplying them with connectivity.

The damage is reported to have affected major undersea cables near Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire and is causing downtime across West and South African countries. Multiple reports indicate the West Africa Cable System (WACS), the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE), MainOne, and SAT3 cables are affected.

This disruption has led to some banks being down and unable to process transactions as a result of the cyberspace interruption.

In its message to customers, MTN assured that the issue is being attended to. It stated: “We apologize for the challenges you may be experiencing with internet speed and accessing data services at the moment.

“This is a result of damage to international undersea cables across East & West Africa. The repair process is ongoing to resolve the situation as soon as possible. Please look out for further updates.”

Also, one of South Africa’s telecom operators, Vodacom, has confirmed the undersea cable outages.

It said: “Multiple undersea cable failures between South Africa and Europe are currently impacting South Africa’s network providers, including Vodacom.

“This means that certain customers are currently experiencing intermittent connectivity issues. We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience while the issue is being attended to.”