Telecommunications expert Duncan McLeod says it is challenging to predict when the internet interruptions will be resolved. A significant internet disturbance has struck South Africa, disrupting services for thousands of users nationwide who have been left frustrated.
Key Microsoft applications such as Outlook and Microsoft Teams are among those rendered inaccessible.
The disruption was triggered by damaged undersea cables near Abidjan in the Ivory Coast.
The restoration timeline remains unclear.
Affected services include some banking apps, LinkedIn, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, X, and Xbox.
The outage tracker, Downdetector, has shown a significant increase in reports of issues on websites, apps, and network providers that offer data services.
Customers of various network service providers have also reported that their mobile data was down in several parts of the country.
If you are having network issues you aren’t the only one.
South African internet users have been hit with major downtime – reportedly linked to Microsoft Azure services. pic.twitter.com/xJv8BQZlLO
— The Instigator (@Am_Blujay) March 14, 2024
McLeod explains, “Depending on the location of the repair ship, it could take weeks for it to get there. We could be looking at a minimum of several weeks if its a cable brake. If it’s caused by something else like an electrical issue to some segment of the cable under the ocean, that maybe be resolved quickly. But it’s very difficult to now receive a report on what exactly has cause this problem”
Certain customers are currently experiencing intermittent connectivity issues due to multiple undersea cable failures affecting SA’s network providers, including us. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
— Vodacom (@Vodacom) March 14, 2024
