UNITEL Restores Services After Cyberattack Disrupts Mobile Network Across Angola
The company said its technical and cybersecurity teams immediately activated internal incident response and containment protocols. UNITEL noted that it mobilised all available technical and human resources to restore services as quickly as possible.
UNITEL has disclosed that it suffered a major cybersecurity incident that disrupted its mobile voice, data and internet services across Angola, while indicating that the attack is now under control and service restoration is progressing.
In a market notice issued on July 30, the Angolan telecommunications operator said the cyberattack was detected at 2:20 a.m. on July 28 and affected mobile communications nationwide for both consumer and business customers. However, fixed telecommunications services delivered over fibre optic and wireless infrastructure remained operational throughout the incident, ensuring connectivity for public institutions and businesses.
The company said its technical and cybersecurity teams immediately activated internal incident response and containment protocols. UNITEL noted that it mobilised all available technical and human resources to restore services as quickly as possible.
According to the operator, the gradual restoration of mobile voice, data and internet services began at 11:45 a.m. on July 29. At the time of the announcement, services had been partially restored in the provinces of Luanda, Bengo, Benguela, Bié, Cuando Cubango, Cuanza Norte, Cuanza Sul, Cunene, Huambo, Huíla, Malanje, Lunda Norte and Namibe. SMS services remained unavailable, while restoration in the remaining provinces was expected to continue throughout the day.
UNITEL said this was the first cybersecurity incident of such nature and scale to affect the company, stressing that it maintains robust cybersecurity systems aligned with international best practices, including a Security Operations Centre (SOC), business continuity and disaster recovery plans, and continuous threat monitoring.
The operator also revealed that it is investigating the possibility that the cyberattack was deliberate and targeted. It pointed to the timing of the incident, which occurred on the eve of the start of negotiations related to its shares, and said it could not rule out the hypothesis that the attack was intended to disrupt the share admission process.
UNITEL said it will continue to keep the market and investors informed of any significant developments in line with its obligations as a publicly listed company.
