Accidental Cable Damage Disrupts Internet Across Africa, Asia, and Middle East

A recent incident in the Red Sea has left many parts of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East grappling with disrupted internet access, believed to be caused by a ship unintentionally cutting key undersea cables. This predicament illustrates the fragility of the submarine cable infrastructure, which is vital for global connectivity, especially as it follows a previous disruption that raised concerns about the reliability of these underwater networks.

The International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) highlights that the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a critical junction for internet connectivity, hosting fifteen international submarine cables essential for data exchange between continents. Over the weekend, reports from telecom regulators indicated that multiple cables, including SEA-ME-WE 4, IMEWE, and FALCON GCX, were damaged. Analysis also confirmed that the Europe India Gateway cable had been affected, expanding the impact of the disruption.

Initial assessments placed the location of the cuts near the Saudi port city of Jeddah, though there has been no official acknowledgment from the Saudi authorities regarding the incident. The operators responsible for maintaining the damaged cables have similarly refrained from public commentary. John Wrottesley, an operations manager at ICPC, noted that many cable faults each year, approximately 30 percent, arise from ships dragging their anchors, leading to a significant number of breaks. Doug Madory from Kentik indicated that it seems likely that a commercial vessel's anchor inadvertently damaged four cables in the busy strait, particularly given the shallow nature of the seabed in the area, which increases the risk of such accidents.

Submarine cables are crucial for global internet connectivity, accounting for over 95 percent of international data transmission. Although alternatives like satellites and terrestrial networks exist, they lack the capacity and efficiency of fiber-optic cables. Internet service providers usually reroute traffic during outages, which can slow down connections and heighten latency issues. Madory confirmed that at least ten countries, including India, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates, experienced varying levels of internet disruption due to this incident.

The ongoing conflict in the region has raised alarms about the safety of internet infrastructure, with the recent escalation of attacks on commercial shipping by Yemen's Houthi rebels. Previously, accusations were directed towards the Houthis about sabotaging underwater cables, although they denied any involvement in recent severance incidents. Despite this latest matter appearing to be accidental, it has sparked renewed discussions among experts about the need for stronger safeguards to protect these vital components of the global internet from human error and potential conflict.