New fibre optic cable set to reroute Asia-Europe internet traffic
EXA Infrastructure, an international company specializing in digital infrastructure, in collaboration with the Turkish company Socar Fiber, is beginning the construction of a terrestrial fibre optic cable that aims to bypass the Red Sea, reports the portal ekathimerini.com.
The portal describes that at least 25% of internet traffic and data transmitted from Asia to Europe via undersea fibre optics in the Red Sea has been disrupted since the beginning of the year.
New fibre optic cable to connect Asia with Europe
"The reason is said to be the attacks by Houthi rebels, who in several cases have caused serious damage to the submarine cables resulting in interruptions," informs the portal ekathimerini.com. In total, four of the sixteen submarine cables were damaged.
These fibre optics account for 17% of the world's total internet traffic. Therefore, a new investment was decided upon.
According to the portal Ekathimerini.com, EXA Infrastructure is beginning to construct a terrestrial fibre optic cable that aims to bypass the Red Sea in collaboration with Socar Fiber.
Houthis threaten trade
Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden since last November in solidarity with Palestinians fighting the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.
The escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict occurred after an attack by Hamas militants in Israel, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 people and over 250 being taken hostage. According to Palestinian health authorities, over 37,000 Palestinians lost their lives as a result of Israel's retaliatory operations in the Gaza Strip.
