Cable Damage Under Red Sea Disrupts Internet Access In India, Pakistan Among Parts Of Asia, Middle East

The cause is unclear, with concerns raised about potential Houthi involvement, though they deny it. Repairs are complex and can take weeks, causing slower internet speeds for users.

Undersea cable damage in the Red Sea disrupted internet access in parts of Asia and the Middle East, impacting countries like India and Pakistan.

Source : X

Internet access was disrupted in parts of Asia and the Middle East on Sunday due to damage to the undersea cable in the Red Sea, according to experts. 

The reason behind what caused the cuts to the cables was not immediately clear. 

Concerns were raised over the Houthis targeting the cables as part of their larger campaign at the Red Sea, which has described its actions as an effort to pressure Israel to end its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Yemeni rebel group has, however, denied attacking the cables in the past. 

Undersea cables are central to the internet, along with satellite connections and terrestrial cables. Internet service providers typically have multiple points of access and reroute traffic if one fails, though it can slow down access for users.

Software company Microsoft announced via a status website that the Mideast "may experience increased latency due to undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea. 

NetBlocks said "a series of subsea cable outages in the Red Sea has degraded internet connectivity in multiple countries," including India and Pakistan. According to the internet access monitoring website, “failures affecting the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as the probable cause behind the outage. 

The South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 4 cable is operated by Tata Communications. The India-Middle East-Western Europe cable is run by another consortium overseen by Alcatel-Lucent, according to Associated Press. 

Pakistan Telecommunications Co Ltd, the country's telecommunication giant, noted the occurrence of cuts in the cable in a statement on Saturday. 

Saudi Arabia did not immediately acknowledge the disruption. 

Internet users in the United Arab Emirates, using the state-owned Du and Etisalat networks, complained of slower internet speeds. The UAE government also did not immediately acknowledge the disruption. 

Anchor drops by sea vessels can cause cable cuts, but it can also be targeted in attacks. The repairs can take weeks and involve the ship and crew, which must locate themselves over the damaged part of the cable.