Plot Thickens as FIFTH Undersea Internet Cable Outage Reported and Iran Taken Offline   - 2,206 Views, 1 Comment

Summary: A few days ago we reported that a third and fourth undersea telecom Internet cable had been cut, following the initial disruptions caused by damage to two underwater cables that had been blamed on anchors dropping on the cables, plunging millions of people in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Middle East, into Internet darkness. Now the plot thickens as a fifth undersea Internet cable outage is reported, and Iran is taken offline. Total users affected so far by the outages exceeds 80million.

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A few days ago we reported that a a third and fourth undersea telecom Internet cable had been cut, following the initial disruptions caused by damage to two underwater cables that had been blamed on anchors dropping on the cables, plunging millions of people in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Middle East, into Internet darkness.

Now, the plot thickens as a fifth undersea Internet cable outage is reported, and Iran is taken offline.

According to Khaleej Times, an estimated “1.7 million Internet users in the UAE have been affected by the recent undersea cable damage.”

Total users affected so far by the outages exceeds 80million.

Reports are that Iran has been taken down to zero Internet access, and a review of the data available at the Internet Traffic Report site substantiates this:


Internet Traffic to/from Iran at the time of the writing of this article is at a standstill:

Said Mahesh Jaishankar, executive director for du, a UAE telecom provider, “The submarine cable cuts in FLAG Europe-Asia cable 8.3km away from Alexandria, Egypt and SeaMeWe-4 affected at least 60 million users in India, 12 million in Pakistan, six million in Egypt and 4.7 million in Saudi Arabia.”

With the fact of not only a fifth cable being damaged, but the fact that these cables are many miles apart, theories abound.

One thing is sure, however: at this point calling it a coincidence - unlike whatever is actually happening to these cables - just doesn’t cut it.

Plot Thickens as FIFTH Undersea Internet Cable Outage Reported and Iran Taken Offline

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Read more:

»  Massive Transcontinental Internet Outage as Three Undersea Cables Severed - Again.

»  As More Undersea Cables are Gashed - Disrupting Internet Access to Middle East, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan - Investigation Reveals Cuts Not Accidentally Caused by Anchors - Cause “Unknown”

»  Google to Build Massive Undersea Internet Cable Across the Pacific Ocean

»  Ship Anchor Cuts Undersea Internet Cable - India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Middle East Countries Lose Internet Access

For additional similar stories check out our archives on Around the World, Internet Providers

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1 Comment »

  1. You finished this piece with “One thing is sure, however: at this point calling it a coincidence - unlike whatever is actually happening to these cables - just doesn’t cut it.”

    Feeling a bit “punnish” today?

    Comment by RG Schmidt — 2/7/2008 @ 7:33 am

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 This article first appeared on 2/6/2008
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