When a fallback option becomes a necessity, a slew of issues emerges.
The Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT 1), launched on May 13, 2007, met its demise on November 11, 2008, succumbing to solar array power failure and ending up confined to the graveyard of defunct satellites. The aftermath of this failure inflicted setbacks upon numerous companies reliant on its services.
Several banks, unfortunate enough to tether their operations to NIGCOMSAT, found themselves ridiculed by their more prudent counterparts, who wisely steered clear of the marketing allure of Timasaniyu Ahmed Rufai and his team. The failure of NIGCOMSAT was perceived as a consequence of the “Nigerian factor,” particularly egregious, considering Africa’s inaugural communications satellite lacked a backup—a risk deemed excessive.
Despite satellite launches worldwide being fraught with uncertainties—given that mishaps can occur even on launch day—NIGCOMSAT 1’s 18-month orbital tenure before encountering challenges marked a unique disappointment. As organisations nursed their wounds and sought alternatives, the Nigerian government embarked on a new endeavour to launch another satellite.
In collaboration with the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), the agreement stipulated that China, facilitated by the China Exim Bank, would finance the project and manage it at the Xichang ground station for two years before relinquishing control to Nigeria. Nigeria’s ownership would hinge solely on counterpart funding, with Nigeria contributing $50 million while CGWIC provided $200 million.
Following relentless criticism directed at the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited and its management, a new satellite, NIGCOMSAT 1R, took flight on December 19, 2011. However, the initial excitement surrounding its launch had dwindled and, as the satellite, boasting a 15-year lifespan, embarks on its final journey, both its owners and management find little cause for celebration.
The crisis triggered by undersea cable cuts on Thursday, March 14, 2024, unveiled a fresh reality in internet connectivity and revisited the narrative of NIGCOMSAT. These cuts occurred in the vicinity of the Cote d’Ivoire and Senegalese axis, further emphasising the significance of reliable satellite infrastructure.
The millions of organisations heavily reliant on the seemingly infallible technology of connectivity were abruptly shaken by the cable cuts, enduring downtime that dealt blows to their operations. Banks and corporate entities, staunch believers in the reliability of undersea cables—particularly in West Africa—found their meticulously laid plans unravelling, prompting urgent reviews of communication access options for their branch networks solely dependent on these cables.
The peril of the cuts was exacerbated by the absence of alternatives, leaving banks particularly vulnerable as the undersea cables lacked backups. Telecommunications firms also suffered severe blows, their services hinging on the seamless functioning of undersea cables for terrestrial and mobile communications. While skeletal services for voice connections persisted, thanks to operational mobile switching centres (MSCs) and base stations, internet connectivity for both corporations and individuals bore the brunt of the disruption.
As affected companies grappled to rectify the situation, full-service restoration, expected to be a protracted endeavour, reportedly commenced by Monday, March 18, 2024. This episode underscores poignant lessons.
Are undersea cables truly the panacea for seamless communications, or should we disregard communication satellites entirely based on the failure of a single satellite? In light of the cable cuts crisis, it’s reasonable to assert that satellite communications are on par with undersea cable connectivity—the Achilles’ heel of NIGCOMSAT being its lack of backup.
Undersea cables, while critical infrastructure for internet connectivity, are akin to a one-way traffic. Once they fail, there are no backups and downtime can be severe, lasting for days, if not weeks. Nonetheless, undersea cables serve as lifelines for vast amounts of data traffic across continents, despite their susceptibility to damage from accidental cuts, natural calamities or technical glitches.
This incident isn’t an isolated event. In 2023 alone, two submarine cable systems servicing the Nigerian market endured damage off the West African coast. The West African Cable System (WACS) and the South Atlantic 3 (SAT-3) suffered breaks between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon due to separate rock falls in the Congo Canyon, as reported by agencies.
In 2020, the West Africa Cable System (WACS) endured cuts, causing a slowdown in internet services across the country. MTN Nigeria, among the affected providers, took to its social media handle to express apologies to its subscribers, assuring them of efforts to resolve the challenges promptly.
Recently, multiple fibre cuts left MTN Nigeria subscribers unable to make calls or browse the internet for hours. An official at MTN Nigeria attributed the outage to major service disruptions caused by these cuts, affecting both voice and data services.
MainOne, an infrastructure company, declared force majeure following tests on its cable system, stating that preliminary assessments suggested underwater activity as the likely cause of disruptions. Force majeure clauses in commercial contracts enable service providers to suspend obligations during such unforeseen circumstances, which may include natural disasters, governmental actions, or infrastructure failures.
Internet monitoring firm NetBlocks reported a significant disruption to internet connectivity in West and Central Africa, citing multiple undersea cable failures near Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire. The SAT-3/West Africa Cable System (WACS), Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) and other cables were affected, with the outage commencing around 12:30 on Thursday, March 14, 2024.
“Multiple undersea cable failures between South Africa and Europe currently impacting South Africa’s network providers, including Vodacom,” a Vodacom spokesperson explained in a statement.
Director of Internet analysis at Kentik, Doug Madory indicated there were also issues with the MainOne subsea cable.
Microsoft reported network latency issues in its South Africa North and South Africa West locations.
“Starting at 10:30 UTC on Mar 14, 2024, customers using Azure Services in South Africa North and South Africa West experienced increased network latency or packet drops when accessing their resources,” the company said.
“We have determined that multiple fiber cables on the West Coast of Africa — WACS, MainOne, SAT3, ACE — have been impacted which reduced total capacity supporting our Regions in South Africa,” Microsoft said in an update. “In addition to these cable impacts, the on-going cable cuts in the Red Sea — EIG, Seacom, AAE-1 — are also impacting capacity on the East Coast of Africa. This combination of incidents has impacted all Africa capacity – including other Cloud providers and public Internet as well.”
Damage to undersea cables causing internet disruptions is not unprecedented. In 2020, MTN attributed internet disruptions in West Africa to undersea cables. Similarly, in 2018, 10 West African countries experienced a 48-hour internet blackout due to damages to the African Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine cable. MainOne’s submarine cable system also disrupted internet services across West Africa in 2017.
On Thursday, March 14, 2024, telecommunications companies and banks in Nigeria grappled with an internet outage resulting from damage to international undersea cables supplying connectivity. The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) clarified that major undersea cables near Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire were affected, causing downtime across West and South African countries.
Faced with the risk of not having backup options, many organizations have turned to satellite communications. Notable satellite companies include SES S.A., Viasst Inc., Intelsat, Tele sat, General Dynamics, Gilat Satellite Networks, Echostar, Inmarsat, and Eutelsat. These companies offer reliable alternatives to undersea cables, ensuring connectivity resilience in the face of unforeseen disruptions.
