The Cable Consortium of Liberia (CCL) has announced a week-long disruption to internet services across the country, beginning Tuesday, April 23, as technicians carry out critical repairs on Liberia’s undersea fiber optic cable system.
According to the CCL, a repair vessel from the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine cable project is expected to arrive in Liberia on April 22, with engineers set to begin work the following day. The consortium warned that internet users should expect intermittent outages lasting 10 to 15 hours daily until the repairs are completed on April 28.
The CCL stated that the repairs are necessary to maintain and upgrade Liberia’s internet infrastructure, which relies heavily on the ACE cable for international connectivity. The consortium acknowledged the inconvenience but emphasized that the work is essential for long-term stability.
“During this period, there may be significant disruptions to internet services,” the CCL said in a statement. “We appreciate the public’s patience as we work to ensure more reliable connectivity in the future.”
To minimize the impact, the CCL confirmed that Orange Liberia and Lonestar Cell MTN are assisting with backup services to help cushion the effect of the outages. However, the company cautioned that even with contingency measures, slowdowns and temporary blackouts are likely.
Businesses, schools, and government offices are advised to prepare for limited online operations during the repair period. Banks, telecommunication companies, and other service providers have also been alerted to adjust their operations accordingly.
While many Liberians understand the need for infrastructure maintenance, some have questioned the timing and duration of the outage.
“A whole week of unstable internet is tough, especially for those of us who work online,” said Martha Kollie, a digital entrepreneur in Monrovia. “I hope the repairs really improve things because we can’t keep having these disruptions.”
Others have called for more transparency from the CCL, asking why the repairs were delayed from their original March schedule.
This latest outage highlights Liberia’s continued struggles with digital infrastructure resilience. The country depends on a single major undersea cable, leaving it vulnerable to prolonged disruptions when maintenance is required.
The situation has also reignited debates over the PHP Park controversy, where the government plans to excavate part of the newly built park to reroute the fiber optic cable buried beneath it. Critics argue that better planning could have prevented such conflicts between development projects and critical infrastructure.
The CCL has assured the public that every effort is being made to complete the repairs as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, internet service providers are urging customers to limit non-essential online activities during peak outage hours to reduce network strain.
As Liberia braces for a week of connectivity challenges, the bigger question remains: Will these repairs lead to a more stable internet future, or is this just another temporary fix in an ongoing struggle for reliable digital access?
