New routes identified to improve internet services – Communication Minister

The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has revealed that the government has discussed with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to explore new routes that will improve data connectivity until the main cables are fully restored following disruptions to undersea fibre lines that connect to Ghana.

She said these routes are currently being implemented, and internet users will see better services every day.

She revealed this on Monday, March 18, 2024, while addressing parliament about the internet blackout across the country.

Data services in Ghana and other African countries have faced disruptions since Thursday, March 14, due to cuts in undersea fibre optic cables, which are critical to internet connectivity.

The National Communications Authority (NCA) has since announced that it will require a minimum of five weeks to fully restore data services nationwide.

She also revealed that a Meta-backed 45,000-kilometre cable, the 2Africa Submarine Cable, will be fully operational in Ghana by the end of 2024 to boost internet connectivity as part of the government’s digitalisation agenda.

“The government has shepherded the multi-year process of getting the Meta cable to Ghana. The cable which landed in Ghana in November 2023, will be operational by the end of this year and it will increase the country’s redundancy and capacity,” she said.

Currently, Ghana has five submarine cable providers: SAT-3, MainOne, WASC, Glo, and ACE.

This new submarine cable comes with a capacity of a whopping 180 terabytes per second, which is 30 times more than the existing aggregate capacity of 5.9 terabytes from the five cable landing stations.

The first submarine fibre cable was landed in Ghana by the SAT-3 consortium, of which the Government of Ghana, through Ghana Telecom, was a member.

More about the 2Africa Submarine Cable?

Facebook’s parent company, Meta, is partnering with established carriers such as the MTN Group, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone Group Plc, Orange SA, China Mobile International Limited, Saudi Telecom Group, and WIOCC, with Nokia-owned cable systems provider Alcatel Submarine Networks contracted to lay the cable network.

Even though the cost is not public, Bloomberg estimates the project to be worth US$ 1 billion.

The cable outlay will cover the entire circumference of the African continent and deliver new technology, allowing the deployment of up to 16 fibre pairs instead of the eight fibre pairs supported by older technologies.

When completed, it is expected to give Africa an economic boost in excess of US$ 20 billion between the first two to three years of operation.