A profound silence fell over the switch-rooms and engineering space of SURE’s South Atlantic operations on Ascension Island in the early hours of the morning on the 1st of March 2026.
For the first time in 127 years, Senior Engineer Mario Anthony and the SURE team powered down Sure South Atlantic’s public telecommunications infrastructure for the final time. It was a technical task that took a few keystrokes and the flipping of a few switches, taking just under two hours to complete. It was a process that involved turning off fixed-line services, broadband internet, email services, mobile, and then finally the inter-island satellite carrier; but for those watching, it was an emotional farewell to an era that defined the Island’s modern identity.
The history of this connection is woven into Ascension Island’s history and the legacy of the British Empire. It began in 1899 with the Eastern Telegraph Company, which landed the first undersea cable to link London with Cape Town during the Boer War. By the time it evolved into Cable & Wireless in 1934, the Island had become a vital global entity.
Generations of “Saints” (from St Helena) were the backbone of this operation, many spending years training at the Cable & Wireless colleges in Porthcurno and Coventry, UK. Their expertise allowed the tiny volcanic rock of Ascension to support the giants of the 20th century, providing mission-critical facilities management for NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Global Real-Time Network (NavCom), and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO).
Sure’s decision to leave Ascension was not made lightly. The company had expressed growing concerns that the Island’s tiny market could not viably support multiple operators after the Ascension Island Government (AIG) began licensing alternative providers. In a community with no “economies of scale,” the high cost of maintaining subsea and satellite links became commercially unsustainable. When the government declined to increase subsidies, the stand-off reached its inevitable conclusion: Sure SA gave notice to withdraw, ending a century of service.
As of March 1st, 2026, the Ascension Island Government has stepped in to fill the gap, partnering with a new provider called Omnitouch Network Services to launch Ascension Island Mobile (AIM). This new network relies heavily on the satellite constellation to provide connectivity.
However, the transition has not been without its “rough ride.” Currently, the seamless regional link that once existed between the South Atlantic Islands has been broken; residents in St Helena are finding it impossible to make direct landline or mobile voice calls to Ascension Island. While internet-based apps like WhatsApp still function, the loss of traditional international dialling marks a significant disruption for families who have relied on these routes for decades.
On the Island, fixed lines are not currently widely available. Some residents report an element of uncertainty and frustration regarding how to call and contact certain essential local services. For decades, the Ascension Island population was always used to having direct, responsive customer services rather than reading FAQs on a website. Some reported data speeds are less than 1 MB despite being advertised as ‘high-speed,’. End-users who previously used +247 mobile numbers and roaming for in-app two-factor authentication have been cut off and can no longer access international banking and other important offshore services, leaving them disconnected during this disruption.
Omnitouch’s Ascension Island mobile coverage is reported to be far superior to Sure’s coverage, and now reaches areas such as Devil’s Ash Pit and far beyond places that have never had a mobile signal before.
For the outgoing team, the final shift was a time for reflection on a career shaped by “dedication, pride, and the pursuit of engineering excellence.” They leave behind a legacy of keeping one of the most remote places on earth connected through wars, space launches, and global crises.
As the Island moves into this new, untested chapter of government-led connectivity, the challenge of the South Atlantic remains as formidable as ever.