By Desmond Gbeleh Wion
Senior reporter
Capitol Hill: The government of Liberia through the Liberia Telecommunications Authority ( LIBTELCO), and the Cable Consortium of Liberia ( CCL) have officially begun technical repair work on a key segment of the country’s central internet infrastructure, the fiber optic cable. This AEC cable came to Liberia in 2011 through the route of the PHP park of the Atlantic ocean. The ongoing maintenance is part of the rerouting process of the Cable which is greatly caused by the monument built on the PHP right on the initial landing point of the ACE cable. Therefore, the ACE cable is required to be rerouted for accessibility that can possibly foster proper repair work. This rerouting process is aimed at stabilizing Liberia’s national connectivity, underscores the LTA’s commitment to ensuring uninterrupted digital services across the country.
In recent days, Liberia has experienced fluctuating internet services which have affected businesses, learning conditions, research work related functions causing an unfamiliar browsing mode for the country.
This situation which was investigated and verified to be the result of those heavy rocks inserted beneath the surface of the ground, sitting right on the ACE cable during the construction of the PHP Sports Park by the CDC administration in order to give that part of Monrovia beautiful view not knowing the damage it would cause on the country digital connectivity.
During the site tour, LTA commissioners and board members, LIBTELCO and CCL were accompanied by the media to provide basic knowledge about the maintenance project. Acting Commissioner Clearance Massaquoi clarified that the repair activities are centered around a vital internet cable link located in the capital, Monrovia, and are part of a scheduled upgrade to enhance bandwidth and network reliability. The LTA also clarified that the contractor engineer of the PHP park never considered the Cable Consortium of Liberia not to build a monument on the ACE cable.
“We wrote and published letters of resistance of why the PHP monument shouldn’t have been built on the ACE cable but to no avail” CCL managing Director, Mr. Benson stated. He furthermore expressed how cost intensive the rerouting process will cost the government in procuring technical equipment.
Commissioner Clearance however assured the LTA commitment of a contingency plan that will ensure no inaccessibility of the internet during the effective repair work.
The Ministry of Information through its Deputy Spokesperson, Daniel Sando firmly debunk circulating media reports that alleged the demolition of structures in the densely populated PHP community as part of the repair efforts. Describing the reports as “entirely false and misleading,” the LTA emphasized that no residential or commercial properties are being affected by the technical work.
“We urge members of the public and media institutions to verify information through official channels before disseminating unverified claims that could cause public alarm in the name of propagandism” Minister Sando warns.
Meanwhile, the ongoing cable work is expected to be completed within the coming days, with no anticipated long-term disruption to internet services.
The LTA has encouraged users to report any unusual connectivity issues to their service providers, while promising continued updates as the repair progresses.
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