SOUTH AFRICA - GOOD NEWS! REPAIR HAS FINALLY BEGUN ON SOUTH AFRICA'S SLOW INTERNET ISSUE

After 6 days at sea, the cable repair ship Leon Thevenin could reach its first target this evening.
It will then need at least 48 hours to repair the cable, its owner company Orange Marine told Business Insider South Africa.

It could take them as long as 11 days to repair before moving on the the next break ont the Sat-3/Wasc undersea cable.

It was previously expected that the vessel would be making its way to fix the Sat-3/Wasc cable first, as this was the repair commissioned first.

After 6 days at sea, the cable repair ship Leon Thevenin could reach its first target this evening.

The cable layer vessel has been making its way up along the West Coast of Africa and is now off the coast of Angola. Weather permitting it is expected to arrive at the first break at the West Africa Cable System (Wacs) S1i cable grounds, according to South African National Research and Education Network (SA NREN).

Leon Thevenin on its way to the WACS S1i cable grounds. We have a provisional repair date of the 8th February for the WACS cable system. SAT-3 will be attended to thereafter. This information may be subject to change.

Leon Thevenin has been tasked with repairing both undersea cables Wacs and the South Atlantic 3/West Africa (Sat-3/Wasc) which went down in the early hours of Thursday, 16 January 2020, said Openserve.

It was previously expected that the vessel would be making its way to fix the Sat-3/Wasc cable first which is much further North near Libreville, Gabon, as this was the repair commissioned first. However, it appears as if the ship has opted for the closer target and has been making a steady b-line for the Wacs cable instead.

The vessel will need at least 48 hours to repair the cables, its owner company Orange Marine, told Business Insider South Africa.

It could take them up to February 8 (11 days) for the cable to be repaired, state-owned telecommunications company, Broadband Infraco, said in a tweet today.

A second break on the Wacs cable, which was reported to originate on the United Kingdom side is expected to be fixed by 3 February, according to Broadband Infraco.

*This is a developing story.

via - BUSINESSINSIDER