Source: Forbes – Zachary Folk – Four Fiber Optic Cables Damaged In Red Sea: Here’s What We KnowAt least four undersea fiber optic cables, which carry approximately 97% of all Internet traffic, were damaged last week in the Red Sea, telecommunications providers are reporting, and instability in Yemen threatens to prevent operators from fixing them immediately. (…)HGC Communications, a telecom operator in Hong Kong, reported the four cables that were “cut” in the Red Sea: SEACOM, TGN, Africa Asia Europe-One and the Europe India Gateway. HGC said that the damage has impacted an estimated 25% of their internet traffic, which is now being rerouted through mainland China and east through the United States. (…)A study published by the Department of Homeland Security in 2017 estimated that 97% of all intercontinental electronic communications took place using undersea fiber optic cables, which are routed beneath the world’s oceans. (…)The International Cable Protection Committee, an NGO based in the U.K., said that an average of 150 incidents occur each year that damage undersea cables—and most of these are caused by activities such as commercial fishing and anchoring.

Source: Forbes March 04, 2024 20:25 UTC