On 22 October 2015, the historical telecommunications operator Algérie Telecom published a communiqué announcing the occurrence of serious disruptions on its internet network. These disruptions could last several days, leading to major inconveniences for consumers. The cause of the disruptions, according to Algérie Telecom is a break in the sub-marine optic fibre cable Sea-Me-We 4, which links the city of Annaba to Marseille.

Though the breaking point on the telecom infrastructure has been clearly identified, Algérie Telecom indicated that the refurbishment works undertaken by the international consortium MECMA have not yet started. They should even take a few days to complete, depending on the weather conditions. Abdelmalek Touati, the communication service manager for Algérie Telecom, interviewed by the Algerian news website TSA, revealed that the MECMA ship tasked with undertaking the repair works should arrive on 23 October evening.

This breaking of the sub-marine Sea-Me-We cable is considerably affecting the international internet traffic of Algeria. 80% of this traffic indeed transits through this optic fibre infrastructure. The 20% of international traffic are managed by the MED cable, the second optic fibre sub-marine cable to which Algeria is connected, also from Marseille in France. The local traffic, which concerns websites hosted in Algeria, will not be affected.

The last incident of this type to occur on the Sea-Me-We cable dates back to 2009. Algérie Telecom indicates that the repair works lasted seven days. To keep the customers informed of the progress of the works, the national operator has decided to set up an emergency committee gathering several of its top management.