If you’ve been having challenges connecting to the internet, or making international calls, via MTN since Thursday evening, you are not alone. It’s the same for many MTN users across West Africa.
“We apologise for challenges you may be experiencing with slow internet speeds or accessing data services at the moment,” read an official statement from MTN Nigeria at 11:37 p.m. (WAT) on January 16, “This is as a result of damage to the international undersea cable. Our engineers are working to resolve these challenges as soon as possible. Please bear with us and look out for further updates.”
However, as of press time, almost 24 hours after the issue started, many MTN users are still experiencing spotty service.
The undersea cable referenced in the official statements is most likely the West Africa Cable System (WACS), which MTN partly owns. Linking South Africa with the United Kingdom, via the west coast of Africa, the WACS serves a sizeable number of internet users across the region, many of whom are MTN users.
Bloomberg reports damages to the WACS cable originated near Libreville, Gabon and Luanda in Angola.
Some countries seem to have it worse than others. According to The Chronicles Rwanda, there is a near-internet blackout in DR Congo, with government scrambling to restore connectivity from other sources.
In Nigeria, MTN has the lion’s share of mobile internet users, having gained twice more internet subscribers than closest rival, Airtel in 2019 alone.
