At least four cables under the Red Sea that provide global internet and telecommunications have been cut, disrupting internet services across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The waterway remains a target of Yemen’s Houthi rebels int the region.
Cables belonging to four major telecoms networks have been “cut” causing “significant” disruption to communications networks in the Middle East, according to Hong Kong telecoms company HGC Global Communications.
As much as 25% of the traffic in the areas has been impacted. The company said it is currently rerouting traffic to keep disruptions to a minimum and “extending assistance to affected businesses.”
Four of the 15 undersea internet cables damaged
There are more than 15 undersea internet cables in the Red Sea. HCG described the damage of four damaged simultaneously as an ”exceptionally rare” incident with ”significant impact on communication networks in the Middle East” in a separate earlier statement.
- Among 15+ submarine cables in the Red Sea, four of them (Seacom, TGN, AAE-1, EIG) are cut which we estimated impact 25% of traffic
- Around 15% of Asia traffic goes west-bound, while 80% of those traffic will pass through these submarine cables in the Red Sea
South Africa-based Seacom told media that the repairs wouldn’t begin for at least another month due to technical issues and requirement of permits to operate in the area. However, the company would reroute client traffic until the damaged cable is repaired.
EIG, another company which owns the affected cable system, connects Europe, the Middle East and India. The company can send internet traffic across some 80 submarine cable systems that reach 100 countries.
Underwater cables are the invisible force driving the internet, with many funded in recent years by tech giants such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook parent Meta.
What caused the disruption?
The actual reason behind the disruption of communication and internet services remains unclear. However, analysts have raised concerns about the involvement of Houthi campaign in the region.
Israeli news outlet Globes suggested the Houthis had been behind the damage to the cables. However, the Houthis have denied attacking the lines. Yemeni rebel leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi said: “We have no intention of targeting sea cables providing internet to countries in the region.”
Yemen’s government has claimed that United States and British military units operating in the region could also be behind the damage.
The Yemen-based Houthi rebels have been attacking commercial vessels in the crucial waterway in response to continuous Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip, where more than 30,000 Palestinians have now been killed in Israeli air and ground attacks since October 7, 2023.
The destruction of cables in the Red Sea comes amid disruption in global shipping through the Red Sea, a crucial route for cargo and energy shipments from Asia and the Middle East to Europe.