DRC: A general outage on the WACS submarine cable disrupts internet access
January 15th 2026
Congolese telecom operators are already regularly criticized for the quality and availability of services provided to the population. The President of the Republic recently mentioned the possibility of sanctions against them.
Telecommunications networks in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been experiencing disruptions for several days, according to the sector regulator. In a statement released on Wednesday, January 14, it indicated that these malfunctions are linked to a general technical failure on the West Africa Cable System (WACS) submarine cable, which connects Europe to the African continent and carries a portion of the country’s internet traffic.
The Congolese Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARPTC) states that maintenance operations are underway to restore services as quickly as possible. It also affirms that it is working with telecom operators to implement appropriate measures to support subscribers, in accordance with applicable regulations regarding force majeure.
This announcement comes a few days after President Félix Tshisekedi addressed the deteriorating quality of telecommunications services in the country. The President instructed the relevant authorities to take the necessary measures to end the recurring disruptions affecting telecommunications networks and systems throughout the country. Sanctions against the offending operators were specifically mentioned.
This outage raises questions about the robustness of the DRC’s digital infrastructure, even as the authorities have made ICT a driver of socio-economic development. The WACS is one of two international submarine cables to which the country is connected for access to the global internet. The second, 2Africa, landed in September 2023 and became operational in December 2025. The DRC also has two land links with Uganda via Lake Albert. Furthermore, it recently finalized a $150 million partnership agreement with a Mauritian company, which includes the installation of a new international submarine cable.
This incident is reminiscent of the vulnerabilities highlighted during the major outages affecting several submarine cables in March 2024, which caused a near-blackout in several African countries. At the time, several solutions were proposed, including diversifying cable routes and using satellite technology.
This latter option is supported by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), which believes that satellites can provide a continuity solution in the event of terrestrial and submarine network outages. For example, Zimbabwe, a landlocked country without direct access to submarine cables, has indicated that it is exploring partnerships with low Earth orbit (LEO) connectivity providers. The Democratic Republic of Congo, for its part, is also working on a project to build and launch its own telecommunications satellite.
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