(UPDATE) DUBAI — Undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea disrupted internet access Sunday in parts of Asia and the Middle East, experts said, though it wasn’t immediately clear what caused the incident.
There has been concern about the cables being targeted in a Red Sea campaign by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, which the rebels describe as an effort to pressure Israel to end its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The Houthis have denied attacking the lines in the past.
Microsoft announced via a status website that the Mideast “may experience increased latency due to undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea.”
The Redmond, Washington-based firm did not immediately elaborate, though it said that internet traffic not moving through the Middle East “is not impacted.”
NetBlocks, which monitors internet access, said “a series of subsea cable outages in the Red Sea has degraded internet connectivity in multiple countries,” which it said included India and Pakistan.
It blamed “failures affecting the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.”
The Southeast Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 4 cable is run by Tata Communications, part of the Indian conglomerate.
The India-Middle East-Western Europe cable is run by another consortium overseen by Alcatel-Lucent.
Both firms did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Saudi Arabia did not immediately acknowledge the disruption and authorities there did not respond to a request for comment.
Undersea cables cut in the Red Sea, disrupting internet access in Asia and the Mideast
In the United Arab Emirates, home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, internet users on the country’s state-owned Du and Etisalat networks complained of slower internet speeds.
The government did not immediately acknowledge the disruption.
Undersea cables cut in the Red Sea, disrupting internet access in Asia and the Mideast
The lines being cut came as Yemen’s Houthi rebels remain locked in a series of attacks targeting Israel over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Israel has responded with airstrikes, including one that killed top leaders within the rebel movement., This news data comes from:http://www.705-888.com
- 2 Marikina policemen accused of molestation
- Remulla pledges transparency and impartiality as Ombudsman
- Australia's 'mushroom murderer' handed life in prison with parole
- Makati distributes Blu Card cash aid
- Tokyo logs record 10 days of 35 C or higher
- Marcos to youth: Help in nation-building
- What to know about Indonesia's nationwide unrest over lawmakers' perks
- ‘40% of Filipinos obese’
- Sotto to Lead Senate again as majority votes to oust Escudero
- IBP to form good governance panel
