Satellite internet constellation, Starlink, has restored services following a worldwide network outage yesterday, disconnecting many users across the globe.
According to company on its X account, the disruptions lasted for two and a half hours. It added that the connectivity interruptions were due to failure of key internal software services that operate the core network.
Global internet monitor, NetBlocks, reported that overall connectivity was down to 16%, while Downdetector, a crowdsourced outage tracker, said users in the US and Europe began experiencing the outage at around 9pm SAST, with over 200 000 reports globally.
Starlink, operated by Elon Musk’s space transportation company, SpaceX, has a footprint in over 140 countries and territories, with 24 African nations currently using the satellite internet service.
The technology has achieved success in Africa, with internet download speeds outperforming local internet service providers, specifically in Sub-Saharan Africa, recording speeds of 75 megabits per second (Mbps) or higher, earlier this year.
While latency issues have been noted, countries such as Botswana, Eswatini, Rwanda, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, and Ghana have the continent's fastest median download speeds.
Regarding the outage, Musk has since apologised for the disturbances in connectivity, citing the company’s efforts in fixing the root cause to prevent future occurrences.
Michael Nicolls, who is the vice president of Starlink engineering, wrote on his X account that the company is dedicated to providing a reliable connectivity experience.
He said: “The outage was due to failure of key internal software services that operate the core network. We apologise for the temporary disruption in our service; we are deeply committed to providing a highly reliable network, and will fully root cause this issue and ensure it does not occur again.”
Starlink also echoed the sentiments on the social media platform through an update.
“The network issue has been resolved, and Starlink service has been restored. We understand how important connectivity is and apologise for the disruption.”
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