Editing SAT-3/WASC (section)

== History ==
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.<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{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}}</ref> However, the three nations were able to use alternative satellite links in order to maintain some Internet communication with the rest of the world.<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{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}}</ref> Two weeks may pass before the cable is fixed.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8176014.stm Cable fault cuts off West Africa]. [[BBC News]]. July 30, 2009.</ref>

Nigeria portion of SAT3 cable was damaged in March 2016.<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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 [[Very-small-aperture terminal|V-SAT]].<ref>{{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}}</ref> The cable was restored after 15 days.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

[[Gabon]], [[Republic of the Congo|Congo]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|DRC]] and [[Cameroon]] experienced internet disruption due to the rupture of the cable on 17 January 2020 off the coast of Gabon.<ref>{{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}}</ref> It was fixed on January 27.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

On 6 August 2023, the cable system snapped simultaneously with the [[WACS (cable system)|WACS]] Cable System after a rock fall in the [[Congo Canyon]].<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref> Internet Speeds in [[Sub-Saharan Africa]] were impacted, despite new cable systems such as Google Owned Equiano recently landing in the country.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>