On the 22nd January Seychelles experienced an internet blackout from early morning hours to the afternoon. With many accustomed to internet services like e-mail, YouTube, Facebook, and WhatsApp were not available. The archipelago in the Western Indian Ocean also lost telecommunications network. Work that was on the line in the Island nation was done in Tanzania, East Africa.
A great percent of the population of the people were frustrated because the internet has become a part of their lives. Some were relieved for the day without internet saying that it had given them a chance to interact with the person- to- person level. Dominique Chetty, a 24-year-old accountant in Seychelles expressed her relief stating that she was forced to enjoy her own company which was a great experience. Chetty is a frequent Facebook user. She also said that before that incident she thought she could not survive a day without internet.
Dominique Chetty went ahead to say that Seychelles should consider of the day without internet from time to time for a change. This would be aimed at restoring face- to- face communication and also create stronger human relations.
Others like Robert Alphonse missed normal routine cable programs. Robert who is an internet subscriber with Cable and Wireless TV channels described the blackout as quite annoying. The 50-year mechanic explained that he had to miss his favorite programs for the day yet he had paid for the service. He further said that internet providers should be having back- up plans when such instances happen. Alphonse also noted that in today’s times everything was carried out by internet making it indispensable to the human population.
Julia Delpeche a citizen in Seychelles said that it was practically impossible to carry out activities in his business without internet. Julia is a purchasing manager for a wholesale company in Seychelles. He added that internet had become vital to everyday life and it was impossible to carry out even the simplest of activities without it. She also said that it would have posed an even greater challenge if the blackout had happened on a Monday. This is because she would not have been able to send emails and communicate with suppliers leading to losses in the business.
The internet blackout also affected credit card users. 45-year-old Alain Ernesta said that he had to return most of his shopped items as he was unable to pay with a credit card that Saturday.
Submarine fiber optic cable was installed back in 2012 under Seychelles East Africa System project. The cable linked Seychelles to a landing station in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Airtel Seychelles and Cable & Wireless Seychelles in cooperation with the government contributed to the financing of the optic cable installation.
