Repeater failure knocks down SEACOM link

JULY 6, 2010 -- SEACOM, operators of a submarine network that serves the countries of East Africa, has announced that a failed repeater has crippled service between Mumbai, India, and Mombasa, Kenya. Repairs could take a week, SEACOM says.

The fault occurred July 5 on segment 9 of the SEACOM cable, which is offshore to the north of Mombasa. The failure affects traffic towards both India and Europe; traffic within Africa is not affected, SEACOM says.

SEACOM has initiated emergency repair procedures to replace the repeater. While the repair process itself “will only take a few hours,” in the operator’s estimation, the overall process could last a minimum of 6-8 days, SEACOM says. The extra time arises from such external factors as transit time of the ship, weather conditions, and time to locate the cable.

Meanwhile, SEACOM, in co-operation with individual clients, is “actively seeking alternatives” to restore service while the repairs are undertaken.

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