February 7th, 2008
Who's been cutting the undersea cables? I think I know
In the swath from Egypt to India, five undersea Internet-phone communication cables have been reported cut this week.
All sorts of conspiracy theories have surfaced, from warring telecom operators to Al-Queda to the CIA. After all first reports, now erroneous, was that Iran’s major undersea cable node went down. Maybe the CIA practicing information warfare against a non-friendly nation?
Or Al-Queda indicating their dispeleasure at some of the feudal monarchies in the region?
Entertaining, if not troubling, theories. Many of these guesses have ;ropogated on the Internet, where you can read every bullchip theory from “Ohio was stolen” and “9/11 was a false flag operation” to missing and presumed deceased balloonist Steve Fossett was abducted by aliens.
But calm down, people. A far more plausible explanation is offered today by the prestigious Economist magazine:
The culprit is Mother Nature.
It may be rare for several cables to go down in a week, but it can happen. Global Marine Systems, a firm that repairs marine cables, says more than 50 cables were cut or damaged in the Atlantic last year; big oceans are criss-crossed by so many cables that a single break has little impact. What was unusual about the damage in the Suez canal was that it took place at a point where two continents’ traffic is borne along only three cables. More are being laid. For the moment, there is only one fair conclusion: the internet is vulnerable, in places, but getting more robust,
I’m inclined to be down with that explanation.
Are you?
Loading ...Russell Shaw is an enterprise computing journalist, analyst and author based in Portland, Oregon. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
