Cell C network problems
Many Cell C customers are complaining about problems with Internet connectivity, slow throughput, and dropped calls.
These complaints followed a voice and data network outage on Saturday 1 December which left Cell C subscribers without mobile services.
Cell C said the outage was caused by a power surge, due to load shedding, at the Neotel Data Centre where some of its network equipment is hosted.
This tripped the air-conditioning and resulted in the Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) system, that enables the routing of traffic on the network, to overheat and power down.
Cell C added that they subsequently deployed additional generators, and that their equipment had been restored.
Cell C network problems continue
While Cell C said all services have been restored, many subscribers are now complaining about poor data connectivity and throughput.
One Cell C subscriber told MyBroadband that “the Internet is broken”, and that Cell C told him the current problems are related to the outage on Saturday.
Users who complained on Twitter about poor network performance were also told by Cell C that load-shedding had resulted in a number of network sites going down.
When asked by a user if the sites were back up, the Cell C account stated that “the restoration of services can take a while”.
“Unfortunately, we wouldn’t be able to advise when exactly services will be back up,” stated the account.
Users of MVNOs running on the Cell C network have also complained of downtime, including FNB Connect customers.
Cell C was asked for official comment on the matter, but it did not reply to questions about its network problems.
Cell C network performance graph
The graph below, which is based on network performance data from MyBroadband’s speed test app, shows the Cell C network performance over the last few days.
The graph uses an average network performance (in kbps) over a rolling 3-day period, which clearly indicates the problems which started on 1 December and continue to persist.
Cell C conversation with a subscriber
The conversation below from Cell C blames load-shedding and site outages for the recent network problems.
Now read: Why Cell C’s network went down
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