NITEL probes SAT-3 failure, restores service

The Nigerian Telecommunications Limited has begun investigations into the circumstances that led to the damage of its end-of-the- continent submarine telecommunications cable, popularly known as SAT-3.

The Managing Director, NITEL, Mr. Kevin Caruso, disclosed this in a statement signed and made available to our correspondent in Abuja on Thursday by Deputy General Manager, Corporate Communications, Mr. Abubakar Shehu.

Caruso also disclosed that the company had been able to fix the damage suffered by the cable, 46 kilometres into the high sea at 1.3km depth, with the assistance of Alcatel of France and the SAT-3 Network Operating Centre in South Africa.


The NITEL boss described the cable as the most priced asset of the beleaguered telecom company, meant to help it to formulate a strategy for uninterrupted services to clients connected to the continental link and the rest of the world.

He said, “I am quite delighted to announce the repair of SAT-3 cable and the subsequent restoration of SAT-3 services to our numerous customers. With the restoration, Internet and gateway connectivity are now open and optimised.

“We have not only repaired the cable, but we have also put some mechanisms in place to further protect the cable from future damage and attendant disruption of services. Our investigation into the causes and consequences of the damage is ongoing and will assist us in our quest for uninterrupted services provision.”