Submarine Cable Cuts in Jan-Feb, 2008 in the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean

In January-February 2008, multiple submarine cable cuts occured in the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean regions. The cable cuts caused internet disruptions and slowdowns, affecting at least 60 million users in India, 12 million in Pakistan, six million in Egypt and 4.7 million in Saudi Arabia. The cable cuts  called into doubt the safety of the undersea portion of the Internet cable system.

The list of cable cuts are belows:

1. January 23, 2008, FALCON submarine cable cut in the Persian Gulf
2. January 30, 2008, SEA-ME-WE 4 submarine cable cut at 12km of the Coast of Alexandria, Egypt.
3. January 30, 2008, FLAG Europe-Asia (FEA) submarine cable cut at 8.3km off the Coast of Alexandria, Egypt.
4. January 30, 2008, SEA-ME-WE 4 submarine cable cut at 8.3km off the Coast of Alexandria, Egypt.
5. February 1, 2008, FALCON submarine cable cut at 56km off the coast of Dubai on the stretch of FALCON that connects Dubai to Oman.
6. February 1, 2008, FALCON submarine cable cut between the Suez and Sri Lanka.
7. February 1, 2008, FALCON, the second cut outside of Bandar Abbas, Iran. "FALCON Segment 7a - Fault 1st February between BND (Bandar Abbas, Iran) and KWI (Kuwait), we are waiting for ship to go out and it maybe fixed before going out the fault on 7b - to be confirmed. "
8. February 3, 2008, DOHA-HALOUL submarine cable cut between the Qatari island of Haloul and the UAE island of Das. DOHA-HALOUL is a cable connecting Qatar to the United Arab Emirates. It became the fourth cable to be damaged in 5 days. The problem is said to be related to the power system submarine cable cut between Haloul Island, Qatar and Omas Das Island, UAE.
9. February 5, 2008, FLAG Europe-Asia(FEA cut at 28km outside of Penang, Malaysia

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