Major Internet Cables Severed - How Bad Is It?

December 19, 2008

(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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3 of the 4 submarine cables carrying Internet data across the sea floor have been inexplicably severed. There has yet to be an indication of sabotage or any other malicious intent, and most user in the United States remain unaffected; however, the potential for this to become a world-wide data fiasco if the remaining cable is cut or overwhelmed remains a possibility.

Many VoIP based Call Centers in India are reporting unacceptable call quality or are completely off line. Other companies have lost their private data networks and are attempting to access the less secure public Internet. Internet speeds have been impacted sporadically around the globe.

United Kingdom network carrier, Interoute Plc, reports that 75 percent of the data traffic between Europe, America, and the Middle East has been impacted by the cuts.

Asia and the Middle East seem to have been hardest hit with over 80% of India out of service at one point. Attempts are being made to reroute traffic. It may take until the end of the year for repairs to be made.

The cuts reinforce the dependency we all have on the Internet and how fragile the world’s Internet backbone really is.

Written by Todd · Filed Under Internet, Telecom