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Undersea cable cut slows down Internet services [Khaleej Times, Dubai, United Arab Emirates](Khaleej Times (United Arab Emirates) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Apr. 15--Internet users were frustrated on Thursday afternoon, as Internet services in the country slowed down following a cut in the undersea cable in the Mediterranean Sea. "The international submarine cable provided by Sea-ME-We 4 in the Mediterranean Sea, connecting Alexandria and Marseilles, has had an unexpected breakdown affecting the Internet traffic in the UAE," telecommunication service provider Emirates Telecommunication Company (Etisalat) said in a statement. "We are working closely with the administration and operators concerned for urgent repair works and re-routing traffic to ensure earliest possible restoration of the cables and Internet service." Several residents told Khaleej Times that they experienced difficulty in logging on to websites or email IDs in the afternoon. "I don't know why it was slower," a resident said. An Etisalat official said the company has prioritised Internet traffic and essential services, important to customers, to ensure that they continue to operate with minimal or no impact. For the business segment and service users, the company said it has already undertaken immediate corrective steps to minimise the impact of the cable cut. Etisalat's network has been so designed to avoid disruption of Internet traffic during such an eventuality. Shabbir Saleemi, owner of Al Raha Sans Frontier Internet Cafe on Al Salem Street, told Khaleej Times that Internet connection got disrupted around 12 noon. "However, it did not affect our business, as it was not the peak time," Shabbir said, who also runs Saher Liwa Internet cafe in Al Raha Mall. In Sharjah too, the Internet connection was as slow as in Abu Dhabi. General manager of Moulin Rouge Bakery Sohail Khawar said slow Internet connection annoyed him in the afternoon. He experienced difficulty in browsing the Internet and send business emails. "I didn't know the slowdown was due to the cable cut," he said. The second largest Arab telecom company in the world, Etisalat, said it has invested heavily in building a robust network with multiple redundant links to major global Internet hubs in Asia, Europe, and the USA so that the traffic can be re-routed to ensure that Internet services can remain operational at reasonable speeds in the UAE. As per reports from a previous cable break incident, the UAE was the least affected country owing to this network. Internet connectivity in the country increased to 1.33 million from 1.15 million at the end of 2009. [email protected] ------ To see more of the Khaleej Times, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.khaleejtimes.com. Copyright (c) 2010, Khaleej Times, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |