EASSy, Sea-Me-We3 cables both reported damaged

The East Africa Submarine System (EASSy) is still affected by a cable break that occurred on 17 February, MyBroadband reported. It said Chris Wood, chairman of the EASSy management committee, said a fibre cut happened between Djibouti and Port Sudan. Ryan Sher, the COO of the West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC), told MyBroadband that a cable cut on the Sea-Me-We3 line in the Red Sea occurred on 20 February. Industry speculation suggests that there are actually multiple cable breaks, said MyBroadband. They may be on EASSy, Sea-Me-We3 and WIOCC's Europe India Gateway (EIG), it said. MyBroadband reported that unofficially, the initial readings and calculations indicate that the fault location is approximately 342 kilometres from Djibouti Station. The Sea-Me-We3 maintenance authority has mobilised a cable repair ship. EASSy's Wood said that the impact on customers is minimal because of the system's collapsed loop ring protection. The only customers affected are those either originating or terminating traffic in Sudan or connecting to other systems in Port Sudan. The vast majority of EASSy traffic exits via Djibouti and is therefore not affected, Wood said.