Seacom, a major provider of telecommunications and underwater cables, is grappling with a more than 48-hour outage in its cable system in the Red Sea area.
This disruption is affecting connections between Africa and Europe, as well as clients in East and South Africa.
The cause of the outage, which started on Saturday, February 24, 2024, is still unknown, and Seacom is collaborating with a repair partner to assess the situation and plan repairs. The affected cable section stretches from Mombasa, Kenya, to Zafarana, Egypt.
This incident follows warnings from Yemen telecom firms three weeks ago about the possibility of sabotage by Houthi rebels on submarine cables in the Red Sea.
Despite this setback, Seacom, known for its extensive ICT data infrastructure in Africa, assures that internet traffic between Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and South Africa will continue via alternative routes.
Additionally, IP services for Europe and other regions have been redirected through other cable systems like Equiano, PEACE, and WACS.
While some latency may be experienced in internet communications, Seacom reassures clients that operations remain functional, and it will provide updates on restoration timelines.
Before the outage, Seacom had already highlighted potential repair delays due to the volatile situation in the region. The company acknowledges the challenging environment for maintenance and repair activities amidst geopolitical tensions.
In parallel with addressing the outage, Seacom is actively pursuing business expansions in East and West Africa through acquisitions.
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