Telkom users in South Africa experienced a network outage on Monday, May 13th, 2024, leaving them unable to make calls, send texts, or access the internet.
The outage began around 2:00 PM SAST, with reports flooding social media platforms and Downdetector. Many users reported a complete loss of signal, while others experienced issues with data and calls.
Telkom Responds and Restores Service
Telkom quickly acknowledged the issue and confirmed it was a nationwide network outage. Their technical teams worked diligently to resolve the problem, and service was restored within a few hours.
“Our technical teams are investigating the cause of the outage,” Telkom said in a statement. “We regret the inconvenience this has caused.”
Customer Frustrations and Memes
As expected, the outage caused frustration among Telkom customers, who took to social media to vent their concerns. Some users pointed out the irony of Telkom’s social media team having internet access while customers struggled with a complete blackout.
Fortunately, the outage was resolved relatively quickly, and Telkom is offering a 1GB data credit as a token of apology to affected customers.
Downdetector Data
Downdetector, a website that tracks online service outages, saw a surge in reports from Telkom customers starting at 2:00 PM SAST. The graph on the site clearly shows the spike in outage reports during the afternoon.
Conclusion
While the Telkom network outage caused disruption for many users, it was resolved within a few hours. Telkom is offering a 1GB data credit to compensate for the inconvenience
