Internet speeds have been disrupted across the region. Getty images
Internet speeds have been disrupted across the region. Getty images
Internet speeds have been disrupted across the region. Getty images
Internet speeds have been disrupted across the region. Getty images

UAE internet could be disrupted for six weeks amid Red Sea cable repairs


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Internet coverage in the Emirates could be disrupted for up to six weeks after cables in the Red Sea were severed, experts have told The National.

Services slowed to a crawl in parts of the Middle East, India and Pakistan this weekend after cables in the Red Sea were severed. On Monday, the internet monitor DownDetector.ae showed some user reports of problems and slow service on Du and Etisalat.

Dr Sarath Raj, project director of the satellite ground station at Amity University in Dubai, said that it could take up to six weeks to repair the cables and that connection for users in the meanwhile could run at slower speeds.

“Repairing these cables is not a quick process. Specialised ships must locate the exact fault, lift the damaged cable from the seabed, splice it and then test it before restoring service,” he told The National. “In most cases, this process takes two to six weeks, depending on location, weather and ship availability.”

This snapshot displays user reports of service disruption on Tuesday, September 9. Photo: Downdetector.ae
This snapshot displays user reports of service disruption on Tuesday, September 9. Photo: Downdetector.ae

Has it happened before?

Dr Raj pointed to the Alexandria cable cut in 2008, after which it took nearly a month for services to be fully restored, affecting millions of people in North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.

“Until then, internet traffic is rerouted through other cables, which keeps services running but usually causes slower speeds and higher latency,” said Dr Raj. Internet satellites like Elon Musk’s Starlink, which could offer an alternative in situations such as this, are not activated over the UAE yet.

But Dr Raj believes submarine cables would still remain the “backbone of global internet” because of their high capacity.

“At the same time, satellite internet, particularly the newer low-earth orbit constellations, can provide redundancy and improve resilience,” he said. “A hybrid system of cables and satellites is the most reliable way forward to avoid major disruptions.”

It is not known what caused the incident. There have been fears that cables in the Red Sea could be attacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, though they have denied attacking lines in the past. Cables can be cut by anchors dropped from ships, and about 70 per cent of the past instances of this happening were accidental.

Disruption

Users across the Emirates have reported disruption over recent days. Gabriela Solis, a freelance journalist in Dubai who works for a Mexican daily newspaper, said speeds have been noticeably slower.

“At home, I first noticed it on my phone when X wouldn’t load and it kept showing an error,” she said. “Then on my laptop, opening new tabs would take longer. And just last night, as my husband and I were watching a TV show on a streaming platform, the image lagged.”

Sharanya Paulraj, a PR manager in Dubai, said: “None of the websites I’m using for research are loading and I have to keep refreshing my browser. I’ve mostly been relying on previous research and checking alternate websites, which is not ideal when on a time crunch. I hope that it doesn’t continue because a lot of my work is very planning-heavy and Google-focused.”

The Red Sea is a critical telecoms route, connecting Europe to Africa and Asia through Egypt. Repairing subsea cables in the area can be difficult, particularly given the continuing Houthi attacks on vessels in the area.

In March last year, at least three subsea cables were cut, which affected internet traffic in Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia. The US government found that the anchor from the Rubymar, a ship the Houthis had critically damaged, had dragged along the seabed and cut the cables in question.

Between November 2023 and December last year, the Houthis attacked more than 100 ships with missiles and drones, and there have been several further attacks this year. The Houthis have sunk four vessels and killed at least eight mariners.

Services remain vulnerable

Raed AlHazme, an IT expert who has served as chief information officer of the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs in Saudi Arabia, said the widespread internet disruption highlighted the dangers of over-reliance on such communication networks.

“These incidents are not new – similar outages have happened in recent years due to cable faults or cuts. Each time, they remind us how fragile global digital infrastructure can be when over-reliant on external routes,” he said.

“There is a common belief that most of the world’s data travels through satellites, but the truth is different. Satellites carry less than 1 per cent of global internet traffic. Subsea cables, on the other hand, are responsible for more than 97 per cent to 99 per cent of worldwide data.

“Although traffic was quickly rerouted through alternative cables, the incident teaches us critical lessons. Relying solely on international infrastructure is a major risk, and digital sovereignty is not a luxury – it is a strategic necessity to ensure continuity and security of critical systems.”

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

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The%C2%A0specs%20
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Stage result

1. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix 4:42:34

2. Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Hansgrohe

3. Elia Viviani (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers

4. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) BikeExchange-Jayco

5. Emils Liepins (Lat) Trek-Segafredo

6. Arnaud Demare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ

7. Max Kanter (Ger) Movistar Team

8. Olav Kooij (Ned) Jumbo-Visma

9. Tom Devriendt (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux

10. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) UAE Team Emirate

Meydan race card

6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
7.05pm: Handicap Dh 185,000 2,000m
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap Dh 190,000 1,400m
8.50pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,200m
10pm: Handicap Dh 165,000 1,600m

Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions

There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.

1 Going Dark

A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.

2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers

A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.

3. Fake Destinations

Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.

4. Rebranded Barrels

Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.

* Bloomberg

PAST 10 BRITISH GRAND PRIX WINNERS

2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2012 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2011 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2008 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)

Updated: September 13, 2025, 8:07 AM