Infrastructure provider Openserve today confirmed that it has been liaising with both the WACS and SAT3/WASC undersea cable consortiums in order to determine the loss of service on both submarine cable systems.

The WACS and SAT3/WASC cable systems are deployed in the Atlantic Ocean and connect South Africa and many other African countries to Europe.  The WACS system lands in South Africa at Yzerfontein, Western Cape while the SAT3/WASC system enters South Africa at Melkbosstrand, Western Cape.

The unusual and simultaneous dual cable break has resulted in reduced speed on international browsing for customers connected to Openserve’s global capacity clients. International voice calling and mobile roaming has also been impacted.

Openserve has ascertained that the SAT3/WASC break is in the Libreville, Gabon vicinity and that the WACS break point is in the vicinity of Luanda, Angola.

“Openserve assures its clients and their respective customers that constant interface with the consortiums and their OEM partners will continue until both cable systems are up and running again,” the company says in a statement issued on Thursday evening. “Openserve has made its resources available to both consortiums to assist wherever possible.”