The National Communications Authority (NCA) has announced that all four undersea internet cables affected by a recent disruption have been successfully repaired.
Addressing a press conference last Friday, the Director General, Mr. Joe Anokye, announced this at the commemoration of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) in Accra last Friday.
The internet interruption occurred on March 14, 2024.
The situation affected internet connectivity in a large part of Africa that relied on the four cables, namely ACE, MainOne, SAT-3, and WACS.
The NCA had announced that there was damage to multiple undersea cables, affecting mobile and fixed data services nationwide.
The four cable faults were found at the crossing with a sub-sea canyon off the coast of Abidjan called Le Trou Sans Fond Canyon.
The NCA had also issued specific directives to mobile and sub-sea cable service providers to strengthen its regulatory oversight following engagements and deliberations on the March 14 occurrence.
These directives included a requirement for all submarine cable operators to submit their backup and redundancy plans to ensure business continuity and seamless connectivity to data services should their cable get cut or develop a major fault.
“In addition, all mobile network operators are to maintain their existing redundant submarine cable links within Ghana and to connect to a submarine cable provider in the sub-region that is currently not landing in Ghana,” Mr. Anokye said.
He also revealed that the NCA had commenced the implementation of a framework that would enable the provision of low-latency broadband services from space in the local environment.
According to him, the recent innovations in satellites operating in the Low Earth Orbit have enabled the provision of low-latency broadband services from space.
He said the public would soon have access to innovative services delivered over satellite to complement terrestrial services, highlighting the significance of digital innovation in Ghana’s development.
Mr. Anokye stressed the importance of digital innovation in tackling global challenges and driving economic development.
He said the NCA’s recently launched a five-year strategic plan intended to unlock the latent research potential of the NCA to drive policy options, instill a culture of innovation and the incubation of new ideas, and position the NCA to effectively regulate new services that rely on emerging technologies.
This year’s celebration, the 159th edition, was marked by the theme “Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
