According to Hong Kong telecom giant HGC Global Communications, submarine internet cables have been “cut” in the Red Sea, causing “significant” interruption to Middle Eastern communications networks. Cables belonging to four major operators have been severed, potentially impacting internet traffic in India, Pakistan, and areas of East Africa. According to HGC Global, at least 25% of traffic has been interrupted, and operators are now rerouting traffic to reduce delays to a minimum while “extending assistance to affected businesses”.
The business stated it was “extremely rare” to have four cables damaged at the same time.
It is worth noting that there are more than 15 submarine internet cables in the Red Sea, an area experiencing enormous shipping interruption owing to attacks by Yemen-based Houthi rebels in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.
Cause of the cuts:
None of the operators have acknowledged the cause for the reduction. Yemen denied involvement in the alleged sabotage, stating that it was “keen to keep all telecom submarine cables away from any potential risks.”
However, the West-backed Yemeni government had previously warned that Houthi rebels would attempt to damage these cables in order to demonstrate support for Hamas and force the world to pressure Israel to stop attacking Gaza.
Yemen’s rebel commander, Abdel Malek al-Houthi, refuted the charges. “We have no intention of targeting sea cables providing internet to countries in the region,” he told reporters.
Houthis, on the other hand, have accused British and US military personnel stationed there of being behind the alleged sabotage.
When can we expect repairs?
According to CNN, South Africa-based Seacom, which controls one of the impacted cable systems, said that the repair work will take at least another month since it needs to obtain permits to operate in the sea. Meanwhile, the prolonged security problem in the Red Sea may cause significant delays in the repair work.
Underwater cables constitute the internet’s backbone and have recently been backed by digital titans such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta, Facebook’s parent company. Disruptions in these subsea networks can cause widespread internet blackouts, as seen in the aftermath of the Taiwan earthquake in 2006.