US Department of State keeping a close eye on underwater Red Sea cable disruptions
The Red Sea witnessed a significant disruption over the weekend, as at least three subsea cables were severed, causing a slowdown in internet speeds in parts of the Middle East, India, and Pakistan. According to reports, connectivity improved by Sunday evening, but for much of Saturday, users in countries including the UAE and Saudi Arabia experienced a crawl in their internet speeds.
Experts warn that it could take up to six weeks for the affected regions to return to normal internet speeds due to the complexities of underwater cable repairs. This incident has once again brought to light the importance of investing in data platforms that can reroute and adapt instantly, as emphasized by technology companies like Cloudera.
The responsibility for the damage to the underwater cables remains officially unclear, but experts suggest two possible causes: an accident such as a ship's anchor or sabotage. The Houthi militia, known for their maritime attacks in the region, is a suspect in some circles, while reports link sabotage activities on important undersea cables to ships associated with the Russian shadow fleet, which have been damaging cables frequently since 2022. However, no conclusive official attribution has been confirmed.
In March 2024, the anchor from the Rubymar, a ship the Houthis had critically damaged, was found to have dragged along the seabed and cut the cables. The US government's findings, however, are not universally accepted, and the exact cause of the cable cuts remains a topic of debate.
Large companies that depend on reliable internet, such as Microsoft, can incur costs due to cable damage. Microsoft maintained network traffic for its Azure cloud computing business by rerouting it through alternative network paths during the cable damage. However, alternative routes can still cause problems for average users, as demonstrated by the strain on 5G services when internet services that rely on the cables were put under duress.
The Red Sea, a critical telecoms route, has long been feared as a potential target. Although there is no indication the severed cables were the result of an attack, recent turmoil in the Middle East has increased these fears. Some regions, like parts of the Middle East, have not yet returned to normal internet speeds, highlighting the ongoing impact of the cable cuts.
Interestingly, an hour of internet outage can cost millions in banking, retail, and aviation, according to Cloudera. As such, the importance of maintaining uninterrupted internet connectivity cannot be overstated. The Red Sea cable cuts serve as a reminder of the potential vulnerabilities in our global internet infrastructure and the need for investment in resilient systems.
