As if the Middle East and South Asia don’t have enough problems with war, terrorism and poverty, now communications in many of the nations in those regions have been disrupted. The cause ― three international underwater cables in the Mediterranean Sea that were damaged Friday. Millions of people trying to make phone calls or log on to the Internet won’t be doing so for a while.
A similar problem happened nearly a year ago, but this one has the potential to be worse. The damage this time broke all three of the cables connecting Europe with Asia via the Middle East. Many carriers in the Middle East and South Asia will have to route their European traffic around the globe, instead of via a more direct route.
No word yet on an official cause of the damage. Previous reasons for cable breaks include oil drilling and wayward anchors.
