ALBAWABA - Significantly, damage to undersea cables has damaged the region's telecommunications infrastructure in the Red Sea, causing major disruptions in internet connectivity between Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
Significant disruptions have been caused by the damage to four main telecommunications cables; estimates indicate that up to 25% of internet traffic between these locations has been impacted.
Hong Kong-based telecom provider HGC Global Communications has rerouted traffic in an effort to lessen the effect on consumers and support impacted businesses.
Questions regarding accountability remain unanswered as the cause of the cable damage is yet unknown.
Major Internet giants like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta have started funding submarine cables recently, which are essential for internet connectivity. Widespread internet outages can result from disruptions to these submerged networks, as seen by the Taiwan earthquake of 2006.
The Red Sea cable destruction coincides with the official Yemeni government's warnings about possible cable-targeting by Houthis. Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the head of the Houthis, has refuted these accusations, nevertheless.
The Yemeni government claims that military units operating in the area have caused damage, and it has accused the US and the UK of being involved.
One of the networks that is impacted is the Asia-Africa-Europe 1 cable, which connects Southeast Asia to Europe through Egypt and spans 25,000 kilometers. Also affected is the Europe-India Gateway (EIG).
Vodafone, a significant EIG investor, stayed silent about the circumstances.
Many underwater cable networks are used by the majority of large telecommunications companies, hence efforts are being made to reroute traffic and guarantee continuous service.
