Internet Disruptions in Pakistan Because of Undersea Cables: Source

Recently, a Hong Kong-based telecom company HGC Global Communications revealed that telecom networks in different regions are experiencing disruptions because of the damage inflicted to submarine cables in the Red Sea. Therefore, providers are forced to reroute around 25% of traffic in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, which also includes internet traffic. Therefore, the company is actively rerouting traffic to minimize disruption for its customers and is also helping the affected businesses.

The company also said that undersea cables owned by four major telecom networks have been damaged, leading to wide disruptions to communications networks in the Middle East. However, HGC did not reveal the cause of the cable damage or identify any responsible parties.

Apart from it, another South Africa-based telecom company Seacom, the company owning one of the damaged cable systems, repairs are not expected to begin for at least another 30 days. This long delay is because of the lengthy process of getting permits to work in the affected area.

Moreover, it is pertinent to mention here that the damage to cables in the Red Sea follows threats from the official Yemeni government a few weeks earlier, warning about the possible targeting of cables by the Houthi militia. Previously, Houthis disrupted global supply chains by bombarding commercial vessels in this strategic waterway.

In this regard, the Israeli news outlet Globes reported last week that Iranian-backed militias were allegedly responsible for the cable damage. In response, Yemeni rebel leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi denied these allegations and said,

We have no intention of targeting sea cables providing internet to countries in the region.

Later, the Houthis shifted blame to British and US military units operating in the Red Sea area for the damage.

Besides, in recent times, we have witnessed internet disruptions in Pakistan, and damage to the undersea cable as explained can be one of the main reasons.