• Congo plans new undersea cable amid WACS internet disruptions

• Authorities say link could be operational within weeks

• Government orders operators to boost resilience, diversify connectivity

The Republic of Congo plans to connect to a new undersea cable to address faults in the WACS cable that have disrupted internet access in recent weeks. Authorities said technical studies began late last week and should be completed within two weeks.

Benjamin Mouandza, director of networks and electronic communications services at the Posts and Electronic Communications Regulatory Authority (ARPCE), said the link could be operational within three weeks if work stays on schedule. Officials gave no details on the cost or technical specifications. Mouandza also said he hoped the future “Dow Africa” cable, delayed by construction setbacks, would strengthen national connectivity once it enters service.

The move comes as service quality has sharply deteriorated. For weeks, Congolese users have reported repeated outages and very slow speeds due to faults in the WACS undersea cable, according to a statement posted on the Facebook page of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy on Jan. 16. The ministry described WACS as one of Africa’s main undersea fibre-optic links.

Congo has relied on WACS for international internet access since 2012. It also connected to the 2Africa cable, backed by Meta, in August 2023, but the system does not yet appear to be operational in Congo. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, which also connected to 2Africa in 2023, the cable only became operational in December 2025.

Authorities said the new connection would help operators improve service quality and availability as digitalisation accelerates. Official sources estimate that more than 3.5 million people use the internet daily in Congo, out of a population of nearly 6 million.

Telecommunications Minister Leon Juste Ibombo has ordered operators to strengthen resilience measures immediately, including by activating backup routes despite the extra cost. He also called for closer cooperation with neighbouring countries to diversify connectivity sources and demanded detailed technical plans to permanently address the WACS faults.

Isaac K. Kassouwi