Mogadishu (HOL) — Over 80 million internet users across East Africa are currently experiencing slow speeds and complete outages due to several critical undersea fibre-optic cables experiencing faults this Sunday. A massive internet outage has hit East Africa, leaving over 80 million users across multiple countries without connectivity. The disruption has been occasioned by faults in several undersea cables providing critical connections to systems and companies that provide internet and telecom. Do you have an idea for The New Times to cover? Submit it here! Do you have an idea for The New Times to cover? Submit it here! Fibre-optic cables are the backbone of the modern internet. They offer unmatched speed, reliability, and low latency. In Africa, fibre networks are expanding rapidly. By June 2024, the continent had over 2. Submarine cables. Orange Marine's Léon Thévenin is scheduled to depart Cape Town Harbour at 17:00 on Tuesday, 14 May 2024, for the site of the faults on the Eastern Africa Submarine System (EASSy) and Seacom cables. Network providers, including regional giant Safaricom, scrambled to restore service by activating backup. The submarine cable cutter "Nessie II" is being used between the islands of Rügen and Hiddensee to lay empty pipes 1. (Photo by BERND WUSTNECK / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP) Since Sunday, slow internet speeds.
