Liberia Turns to Côte D’Ivoire for Internet Stability During Submarine Cable Repairs

Wedoany.com Report-Apr. 29, Liberia is set to rely on Côte d'Ivoire for stable internet services during the repair of its sole submarine cable. Scheduled from April 23 to 30, the maintenance has led the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) to approve a collaboration between Csquared and Orange Liberia with Ivorian operators.

The LTA encouraged all service providers in Liberia to utilize the newly established cross-border fibre optic connections. It expressed hope that this collaboration would ensure uninterrupted service for users throughout the maintenance period. The LTA also emphasized the need for fair access to these connections, urging Csquared and Orange Liberia to ensure that other operators can benefit.

Côte d'Ivoire was chosen for its strong telecommunications infrastructure, which includes links to six submarine cables, such as the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) cable, shared with Liberia. Additional connections include 2Africa, MainOne, SAT-3/WASC, WACS, and Maroc Telecom West Africa cables. Notably, the management of the Maroc Telecom cable by Moov Africa helped prevent a major outage in the region in March 2024.

Côte d'Ivoire also boasts an extensive national fibre network of 33,000 kilometers and international capacity of 1.96Gbps, with 1.45 million currently in use. This places Côte d'Ivoire among Africa’s top three countries for fibre optic development, according to a recent report by the World Broadband Association and Omdia. This advanced infrastructure will support Liberia’s data needs during the repair period.

However, despite its robust infrastructure, Côte d'Ivoire’s internet services can still be impacted by issues on submarine cables or within the transport network, which could affect Liberia’s connectivity. To reduce the risk of such disruptions, experts suggest that Liberia explore additional solutions, such as satellite communications, as recommended by the Global Telecommunications Association. Further expanding interconnections with other submarine cables could also enhance Liberia’s internet service reliability.