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Repairs Begin on Cut Net Cable

Ship expected to reach 2nd severed undersea line today as well

By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff

Posted Feb 5, 2008 6:18 AM CST

(Newser) – Repairs have begun on a segment of undersea Internet cable reported severed off the coast of the United Arab Emirates last Friday, Reuters reports. FLAG, an Indian telecom, said that one of their ships had reached the cable, the most recently disrupted of three main lines to undermine access across the Middle East and South Asia. Another repair ship is expected to reach one of the other two cables today.

"FLAG repair team is operating in extreme weather conditions to ensure timely repairs," the company said in a website statement. Egypt’s telecommunications ministry has said that it will take 10 days to get its service back to usual levels. A rep for an Indian ISP group said it would take about that long to fully repair their country’s damage, but that most Indian businesses had retained access through back-up plans.

Egyptian youth stand outside an internet cafe during disruption of the internet service in Cairo, 31 January 2008. Egypt's telecommunications ministry appealed today for Internet users to stop downloading movies and MP3s so as to give priority to businesses after damage to an undersea cable forced all traffic onto backup...
Egyptian youth stand outside an internet cafe during disruption of the internet service in Cairo, 31 January 2008. Egypt's telecommunications ministry appealed today for Internet users to stop downloading...   (Getty Images)
Sri Lankan engineers and divers work on the maintenance of the undersea communications cable in Colombo, 07 December 2007. Some 400 kilometres of undersea cable have been laid by Flag Telecom which is owned by Indian communication company Reliance Communication. (DESHAKALYAN CHOWDHURY/AFP/Getty Images)
Sri Lankan engineers and divers work on the maintenance of the undersea communications cable in Colombo, 07 December 2007. Some 400 kilometres of undersea cable have been laid by Flag Telecom which is...   (Getty Images)
An Egyptian man tries to access a website at an internet cafe during disruption of the internet service in Cairo, 31 January 2008. Egypt's telecommunications ministry appealed today for Internet users to stop downloading movies and MP3s so as to give priority to businesses after damage to an undersea cable...
An Egyptian man tries to access a website at an internet cafe during disruption of the internet service in Cairo, 31 January 2008. Egypt's telecommunications ministry appealed today for Internet users...   (Getty Images)
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