Slow Internet? Internet Cables Severed in Egypt

Internet services in Qatar were not severely affected despite a breakdown of a submarine cable network in the Mediterranean Sea yesterday. Internet and telephone communications between the Middle East and Europe were disrupted after three submarine cables between Italy and Egypt were severed.

“There is no major impact for Qatar’s communication services as we have many cable operators,” said Adel Al Mutawa, executive director of Group Communication, QTel.

“Qatar’s services are affected by the breach of three of the four internet sub-cables in the Mediterranean Sea. However, strong operational capacity has been maintained due to Qatar’s large number of alternative routes for transmission.”

Qtel said the loss of capacity in Qatar was kept below 47 percent due to Qatar’s robust Internet strategy. Qtel’s network of alternative transmission routes and back-up cables has ensured that Qatar has remained connected and is only experiencing limited difficulties. Engineers are also working to source additional alternative routes to maintain speed and connectivity.

Work to repair the cable is under way, although this could take several days to complete. Users in Qatar might experience some slowdown in internet speed and access problems while these repairs are undertaken.

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