An Equinix-owned broadband and storage company experienced a one-hour power outage at its MDXi II data center in Lekki on October 9, 2024, impacting several Nigerian banks and millions of customers who were unable to access banking services. The outage, caused by a faulty circuit breaker, affected at least three tier-1 banks.
The MDXi Lagos data center, with a power capacity of 600 kilowatts (kW) and a power density of 3.5 kW per rack, utilizes multiple power sources, including utility and diesel generators.
This incident underscores the significant role of the company in Nigeria’s broadband and data storage market, serving major commercial banks and internet providers. The company is crucial to internet services in Nigeria according to sources familiar with its operations.
Prior to this incident, the company faced a similar challenge in Ghana earlier in 2024, which also disrupted services for Nigerian banks.
Following the outage, three chief technology officers of the affected banks visited the data center to gather information about the situation.
Although MainOne did not respond immediately to requests for comments, sources mentioned that the company has implemented redundancy measures to prevent future occurrences. Data center redundancy involves using duplicate components to ensure uninterrupted operations in case of failures.
For commercial banks relying on the company for internet services, such outages can severely impact their operations, especially online banking activities. In an industry where trust is crucial, any service disruption can lead to questions about reliability among customers.