Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda experience internet outages
Telecom operators in the affected regions are scrambling to implement solutions.
Approximately 80 million internet users in East Africa have found themselves grappling with internet connectivity issues that have plunged the region into digital darkness.
Reports from various media outlets confirm slow internet connectivity in the region, attributing it to the severing of the Eastern African Submarine Cable System (EASSy), a vital subsea cable running along the East African coast linking the region to the global network via South Africa earlier on Sunday.
Additionally, three crucial submarine cables in the Red Sea—Seacom, EIG, and AAE1—have also suffered cuts and remain unrepaired according to the report.
This damage has significantly impacted several service providers across East Africa leading to the widespread outage and Tanzania appears to be the worst hit, with internet traffic plummeting to 30% of expected levels, according to reports from BBC News. Similarly, Kenya's major telecom provider, Safaricom, has reported substantial challenges, with some areas experiencing near-total blackouts. Cloudflare Radar data indicates that Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar have also been affected.
Telecom operators in the affected regions are scrambling to implement solutions, with Safaricom activating "redundancy measures" to mitigate disruption for its users. However, a complete restoration of service across East Africa is expected to be a gradual process, as repairs are made and data is rerouted through alternative cables, where available.
Techloy
This incident echoes a similar widespread outage in early March, which impacted West African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa, underscoring the continent's heavy reliance on undersea cable infrastructure.
As internet usage continues to soar in Africa, investing in the diversification and redundancy of these critical connections will be essential to ensure stable and reliable internet access for all.
