SAT-3/WASC

SAT-3/WASC/SAFE began operations in 2001, providing the first links to Europe for West African internet users and, for South Africans, taking up service from SAT-2 which was reaching maximum capacity. SAT-2 had been brought into service in the early 1990s as a replacement for the original undersea cable SAT-1 which was constructed in the 1960s.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}

In November 2007, no internet access was available through SAT-3 for about seven days in parts of central Africa. A government official from Cameroon blamed a technical failure at the underwater SAT-3 high sea fibre optic terminal, about forty kilometres from Douala.{{cite web |title=Internet access off in Cameroon for 7th day |url=http://www.afriquenligne.fr/news/daily-news/internet-access-off-in-cameroon-for-7th-day-2007110610772/ |accessdate=November 7, 2007}} Many ISPs in Cameroon had transitioned their connections from independent satellite connections to SAT-3 in mid-2007 creating serious communication difficulties during the seven days.

In late July 2009, SAT-3 cable damage caused internet blackouts in multiple west African countries including Benin, Togo, Niger, and Nigeria. Togo and Niger were "completely offline" and Benin was able to "reroute its net traffic through neighboring countries."{{cite news |last=Scott |first=Peter |date=2009-07-30 |title=Nigerian 419ers now 404ers |publisher=Fudzilla |url=http://www.fudzilla.com/content/view/14863/1/ |url-status=dead |access-date=2009-07-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090802185950/http://www.fudzilla.com/content/view/14863/1 |archive-date=August 2, 2009}} However, the three nations were able to use alternative satellite links in order to maintain some Internet communication with the rest of the world.{{cite news |date=July 30, 2009 |title=BBC NEWS – Technology – Cable fault cuts off West Africa |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8176014.stm |accessdate=July 30, 2009}} Nigeria suffered a 70% loss of bandwidth that caused problems in banking, government and other mobile networks. President of the Nigeria Internet Group, Lanre Ajayi, said, "[the cable is] a critical national resource because of its importance to the economy and to security."{{cite news |date=2009-07-30 |title=Internet disrupted in West Africa |publisher=Al Jazeera |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/07/2009730775992910.html |accessdate=2009-07-30}} Two weeks may pass before the cable is fixed.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8176014.stm Cable fault cuts off West Africa]. BBC News. July 30, 2009.

Nigeria portion of SAT3 cable was damaged in March 2016.{{Cite web |last=Oluwagbemi |first=Ayodele |date=2016-03-29 |title=Ntel repairs SAT-3 submarine cable |url=https://punchng.com/ntel-repairs-sat-3-submarine-cable/ |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=Punch Newspapers |language=en-US}} On June 9, 2017 the link between Pointe-Noire in- the Republic of the Congo to the international cable was cut off by a fishing vessel forcing network providers to provide internet using V-SAT.{{Cite web |last=AfricaNews |date=2017-06-14 |title=Congo-Brazzaville facing major internet outage: submarine cables damaged |url=https://www.africanews.com/2017/06/14/congo-brazzaville-facing-major-internet-outage-submarine-cables-damaged/ |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=Africanews |language=en}} The cable was restored after 15 days.{{Cite web |last=AfricaNews |date=2017-06-27 |title=Internet connection restored in Congo-Brazzaville after 15 days |url=https://www.africanews.com/2017/06/27/internet-connection-restored-in-congo-brazzaville-after-15-days/ |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=Africanews |language=en}}

Gabon, Congo, DRC and Cameroon experienced internet disruption due to the rupture of the cable on 17 January 2020 off the coast of Gabon.{{Cite web |last=Andzongo |first=Sylvain |title=WACS and SAT3 : Gabon, Congo, DRC and Cameroon experience internet disruption due to an incident on the Cameroonian landing point |url=https://www.businessincameroon.com/telecom/2001-9866-wacs-and-sat3-gabon-congo-drc-and-cameroon-experience-internet-disruption-due-to-an-incident-on-the-cameroonian-landing-point |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=Business in Cameroon |language=en-gb}} It was fixed on January 27.{{Cite web |last=BRM |title=Cameroon reconnects to WACS and SAT3 submarine cables |url=https://www.businessincameroon.com/economy/2701-9898-cameroon-reconnects-to-wacs-and-sat3-submarine-cables |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=Business in Cameroon |language=en-gb}}

On 6 August 2023, the cable system snapped simultaneously with the WACS Cable System after a rock fall in the Congo Canyon.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-07 |title=Twin cable breaks impacting SA internet - TechCentral |url=https://techcentral.co.za/twin-cable-breaks-sa-internet/229480/ |access-date=2023-08-10 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=8 August 2023 |title=Bad news about break in undersea cables |url=https://mybroadband.co.za/news/fibre/503568-bad-news-about-break-in-undersea-cables.html/amp }} Internet Speeds in Sub-Saharan Africa were impacted, despite new cable systems such as Google Owned Equiano recently landing in the country.{{Cite web |last=Malinga |first=Sibahle |date=2023-08-08 |title=SA fibre operators hit by dual submarine cable break |url=https://www.itweb.co.za/content/DZQ58MV8wj5vzXy2 |access-date=2023-08-10 |website=ITWeb |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=10 August 2023 |title=MyBroadband - Internet Cable Break |url=https://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadband/503902-undersea-cable-breaks-wreak-havoc-on-south-africas-internet.html }}{{Cite web |date=2023-08-08 |title=Damaged West African and South Atlantic 3 undersea cables could take months to fix |url=https://technext24.com/2023/08/08/rocks-fall-break-undersea-cables/ |access-date=2023-08-10 |language=en-GB}}

1. Sesimbra, Portugal
2. Chipiona, Spain (though this landing is considered to be part of the Telefónica domestic network)
3. Alta Vista in Las Palmas, Canary Islands

and in Africa:

1. Dakar, Senegal
2. Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
3. Accra, Ghana
4. Cotonou, Benin
5. Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria
6. Douala, Cameroon
7. Libreville, Gabon
8. Cacuaco, Angola
9. Melkbosstrand, South Africa meeting SAFE

Although Telecom Namibia holds ownership in SAT-3/WASC, Namibia has no landing point. Namibian internet users currently have no access to SAT-3/WASC, because Telecom Namibia would have to purchase capacity from Telkom SA, and due to Telkom SA's high prices has so far refused to do so.

Prices for SAT-3 bandwidth in the African countries it serves are high (US$4,500–12,000 per Mbit/s per month, over 50 times greater than bandwidth prices in the U.S.){{cite news |last1=Osiakwan |first1=Eric |date=2008 |title=The Case for "Open Access" Communications Infrastructure in Africa: The SAT-3/WASC cable, Ghana Case study |publisher=Association for Progressive Communications |url=https://www.apc.org/en/system/files/APC_SAT3Ghana_20080516.pdf |url-status=dead |accessdate=18 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619194730/https://www.apc.org/en/system/files/APC_SAT3Ghana_20080516.pdf |archive-date=June 19, 2017}} in large part because operators have monopoly control of access. The lowest rates occur in Ghana, where the Ghana Internet Service Providers Association (GISPA) organized a two-year negotiation through a court fight against Ghana Telecom. SEACOM president Brian Herlihy states that the owners of the SAT-3 cable have cut prices by 50% since the 2007 announcement of Seacom, in order to compete with the arrival of Seacom in East Africa.van der Merwe, Christy (July 19, 2009). [http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/seacom-to-boost-capacity-lower-prices-but-not-overnight-2009-07-17 Seacom to boost capacity, but prices won't drop overnight]. Engineering News.

The cable itself consists of four fibers, using Erbium-doped fiber amplifier repeaters and wavelength division multiplexing.

• List of international submarine communications cables
• Individual cable systems off the coast of Africa include:

:* Atlantis-2 Argentina linked to Portugal

:* EASSy East Africa Cable linking South Africa and East African nations.

:* LION

:* Main One Portugal linked to West Africa

:* SAT-2 Portugal linked to South Africa

:* SEACOM East coast of Africa

:* GLO-1 Nigeria to the UK

:* ACE South Africa linked to France

:* WACS South Africa linked to the United Kingdom

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130203050056/http://www.safe-sat3.co.za/ Official SAT-3/WASC/SAFE Homepage]
• [http://www.mybroadband.co.za/nephp/?m=show&id=169 The Sat3 Fibre - a Monopoly That Stands in the Way of Cheaper International Bandwidth]
• [http://www.cipaco.org/spip.php?article903 What Must Happen when SAT3’s Monopoly Comes to an End? (CIPACO)]

{{Submarine communications cables in the Atlantic Ocean}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sat-3 Wasc (Cable System)}}

Category:Submarine communications cables in the North Atlantic Ocean

Category:Submarine communications cables in the South Atlantic Ocean

Category:Internet in Africa

Category:2001 establishments in Africa

Category:2001 establishments in Europe