Up to 70 % of communications to the Middle East have been disrupted after cables connecting region to Europe were damaged
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70 communication middle east disrupt cable connect region europe damage
Up to 70 % of communications to the Middle East have been <m> disrupted </m> after cables connecting region to Europe were damaged
Damaged cables cause internet outages for millions
Up to 70 % of communications to the Middle East have been <m> disrupted </m> after cables connecting region to Europe were damaged
Millions of web users across the Middle East are struggling to get online after damage to undersea cables connecting Europe , Africa and Asia took down a major route for internet traffic .
As much as 70 % of internet traffic and telephone communications between the continents has been affected by the outage .
It is believed to have been caused by damage to a string of cables which run on the bed of the Mediterranean Sea between Italy and Egypt , connecting Europe with other parts of the world .
The lines , which run hit the Egyptian coast at Alexandria and go on to connect to Asia , are responsible for carrying vast amounts of internet traffic and phone calls between different parts of the world .
It remains unclear what precisely what caused the damage , but the Egyptian communications ministry said that ships have already been dispatched to look at the problem - although repairs will take `` several days '' .
Jonathan Wright , a director at telecoms company Interoute , said that the outage could have a devastating affect on business and communication around the world .
`` The potential impact of an outage of this size can not be underestimated - it is like severing a major artery , '' he said .
`` Global internet connectivity is reliant on sub-sea cables connecting countries . ''
The incident comes less than a year after a similar outage brought a halt to communications between Europe , Africa and Asia .
Those problems were believed to have been caused by ships ' anchors ripping through another section of the same cables , but were exacerbated by simultaneous damage in lines through the Middle East .
As many as 75 million people were affected in countries as far apart as India , Egypt and Dubai .
It is not yet clear whether today 's outage is the same order of magnitude .
Despite the prevalence of wireless internet and satellite connections , global communications are still largely reliant on the vast webs of fibre optic cables which cover the planet .
The lines , which take years of planning to install , move traffic backwards and forwards across continents .
The cables hit by the latest incident are among the most vital information pipelines linking Europe to the rest of the world - and are responsible for the majority of all connectivity in the Middle East and south Asia .
According to Alan Mauldin , research director of communications analysis company TeleGeography , the succession of problems in the region are only likely to be remedied by a series of new cables which are currently being planned .
`` Many new cable systems are slated to enter service between Europe and Egypt in the next few years , '' he said .