An underwater telecommunications cable operated by a consortium that includes Gibtelecom was damaged in the Red Sea last week, amid concern that Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen may have targeted critical undersea infrastructure.
The damage to at least three cable links – some reports suggested four – came just days after Yemeni telecom companies linked to the country’s UN-recognised government warned the Houthis were planning to sabotage a network of submarine cables in the Red Sea critical to the functioning of the western internet and the transmission of financial data.
Israeli media reports attributed the damage to Houthi actions, but Yemen’s Houthi-controlled communications ministry denied involvement.
While the cause of the damage remains unclear, the development is a reminder that the digital services that are central to modern life are underpinned by physical infrastructure.
A spokesperson for Gibtelecom confirmed that the Europe India Gateway cable, which runs from the UK to India with multiple landing points including in Gibraltar, was among the cables damaged.
While the company is aware of the claims of Houthi involvement, its working assumption at present is that the “most likely cause is anchor damage”.
“There has been no impact on Gibtelecom’s core network, including our POP in Singapore, due to network resilience and diversity,” the spokesperson told the Chronicle.
“Our operations team are working with other EIG consortium members to facilitate repair and restoration.”
The development has placed focus on the critical role played by undersea communications cables and the need to protect that infrastructure.
Last Thursday, the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC), the world’s leading organisation promoting submarine cable protection and resilience, noted with concern the reports of submarine cable damage in the Red Sea.
The ICPC urged operators to investigate the causes of damage to Red Sea cables and engage with governments about the implications of such damage.
“The global submarine cable network of more than 400 cable systems and 1.5 million kilometres of submarine cables cross the oceans worldwide,” the ICPC said in a statement.
“This network underpins our daily lives, carrying more than 99% of all digital data traffic worldwide, including the internet.”
“On average around 150 faults occur each year, which are mostly due to accidental human activities such as fishing and anchoring.”
The ICPC also urged governments to coordinate with operators to identify and mitigate causes of damage, expedite permits for repairs, and provide security for vessels engaged in such repairs.
Gibtelecom is a founder member of the Europe India Gateway, the first direct, high-bandwidth optical-fibre undersea cable system from the UK to India.
The $700m, 15,000 km international fibre optic submarine cable uses dense wavelength division multiplexing technology and connects Europe, Africa, Middle East and India.
It is owned by a consortium of 18 companies, including AT&T, Airtel (Bharti), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL), BT, Djibouti Telecom, du, Gibtelecom, Libya International Telecommunications Company, MTN, Omantel, Portugal Telecom, Saudi Telecom, Telecom Egypt, Telkom South Africa, Verizon, Vodafone.