Seacom cable restored to full capacity

Pan-African submarine cable company Seacom restored to full capacity its disrupted internet services on 30 March after Egypt and parts of the Mediterranean region had experienced reduced internet services since 22 March.

Full transmission was returned following reports that Egyptian authorities had arrested three divers caught trying to cut through an undersea internet cable 750m to the north of the port city of Alexandria on 27 March.

A spokesperson for Egypt’s military said the alleged attack took place on the South East Asia Middle East Western Europe 4 (SMW4) line – one of the main cables under the Mediterranean – according to Egyptian news agency Mena.

Although the incident is being investigated Seacom does not believe it to be the work of sabotage due to the location, distance from shore, depth, and “the presence of a large anchored vessel on the fault site which appears to be the cause of the damage and other characteristics of the event.”

It is not known whether the incident is linked to the reduced speed of online services reported in Egypt as well as between sub-Saharan Africa and Europe.

Seacom serves the east and west coasts of Africa, extending to and from Europe, India and Asia, and it has been in operation since 2009.