Seacom subsea cable outage disrupts service in east and southern Africa

Seacom experienced a service outage on its undersea cable system on 24 February 2024. The disruption is limited to the section connecting Mombasa, Kenya, and Zafarana, Egypt. Initial investigations suggest the damage occurred within the Red Sea, and other cables in the vicinity may also be affected.

Damage is suspected to have occurred in the Red Sea

The undersea cable operator is currently working with its repair partner to assess the feasibility of repairs in the region, which is known for its complex geopolitical situation and ongoing tensions, making maintenance and repairs challenging.

In a statement to the media, the company maintained that it can still transmit data between Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and South Africa through its own cable system for both transmission and internet protocol (IP) services.

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All other IP-based traffic destined for Europe and other regions has been automatically rerouted through alternative routes on the Equiano, PEACE, and WACS cable systems.

This ensures clients remain operational, albeit with some potential internet latency.

While some clients in East and Southern Africa have experienced business disruptions due to the outage, SEACOM emphasizes its ongoing efforts to maintain service continuity.

Seacom issued a precautionary notice to its customers earlier in February, acknowledging that repairs in the affected region could be delayed due to the area's instability. The company is currently developing a repair timeline and will communicate further details to its clients.