MainOne Network Outage: Submarine Cable Fault Disrupts Services in West Africa

On Thursday, March 14, 2024, MainOne experienced a significant network fault, disrupting services for customers. The fault, occurring on the MainOne network, resulted from environmental factors like landslides and earthquakes, leading to a cut on the submarine cable system in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa.

Repair efforts are underway, managed by Atlantic Cable Maintenance and Repair Agreement (ACMA). However, the repair process, involving identifying the fault, retrieving spares, sailing to the fault location, and conducting repairs, is estimated to take 1-2 weeks, with additional transit time for vessel mobilization.

The cause of the fault is attributed to seismic activity on the seabed, ruling out human activity due to the cable’s depth. MainOne has ruled out intentional damage, citing strong indications of probable causes.

The outage affects international services south of Senegal, impacting internet services for customers. While restoration efforts are ongoing, MainOne has declared a Force Majeure event, suspending contractual obligations due to circumstances beyond their control.

MainOne emphasizes its commitment to providing restoration services and ensuring timely repairs. Despite having some restoration agreements with other operators, ongoing outages have posed challenges.

MainOne is actively involved in initiatives like the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) to minimize submarine cable damage, aiming to enhance protection measures and prevent future outages.