Posted on 06/28/2005 8:53:42 AM PDT by Altair333
A fault in an undersea cable has crippled many of Pakistan's internet and mobile phone links overseas. The fault occurred late on Monday and systems are still down. One internet official said it could take two weeks to repair.
The fault has been traced to a point in the Arabian Sea 35km (21 miles) south of Karachi and technicians from Dubai are travelling to make repairs.
Pakistan has more than 10 million internet users.
Disruption could also occur in India, the United Arab Emirates, Djibouti and Oman, which are also linked by the cable, Pakistani telecommunications officials said.
Ground to halt
Shahid Ahmed, chief engineer of Pakistan Telecommunication (PTCL), which operates the link, said of the repair work: "This is a highly sophisticated operation and only specialised companies can undertake such a delicate task under the sea.
"Pakistan has no such ability."
Mr Ahmed said the consortium of 92 countries that owns the cable had asked operating agent Singtel of Singapore to fix the fault.
He said Singtel had called in Dubai-based E-Marine but its ship could take a day just to reach the site.
Internet Service Providers Association general secretary, VA Abdi, said: "I fear it could take two weeks to repair because it will require the removal of the faulty portion of the cable.
"The cable provides Pakistan's major outer communication means and its fault has disrupted almost all communications with the rest of the world."
In Pakistan, much internet-based work ground to a halt.
Rahim Kothari, a foreign exchange dealer in Karachi, told the Reuters agency: "We're sitting here idle doing nothing. Trading volume has fallen by almost 80%."
Internet connection all killed by one fat line under sea? That's interesting.
Pakistan's mother told him that he won't get his internet back till his room is clean and the bed's made...
..sorry...that headline reads like a punishment...
How will they get their pr0n?
Most interesting. I wonder if this isn't some kind of blackout for political purposes.
ping
ping
veddy, veddy interesting....
It ought to give our national security some pause, though I doubt the same thing could be duplicated here. Maybe in China, though.
Sounds like an interesting scene in a Clancy novel.
Force Bin Laden to make a cell phone call to his minions...
Does this mean UBL will be without DU for two weeks?
Hell yes and to top it off, Bush probably did it!
Maybe a blackout for special op's purposes.
That's what THEY want you to believe...
You still need fiber optic cables for broadband internet links.
Newest Navy sub said to have undersea cable-tapping ability.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050219/news_1n19sub.html
I'm not an expert in this but I just checked some Indian sites and they are still up although the suffix indicates they may be outside the country. I just sent an e-mail to a friend in India to see what he knows.
If bin Laden is actually cut off and we almost know for a certainty he is in Pakistan then how is he going to communicate? There has to be more to this story than this. What about satellite internet connections?
Are there any experts here who can really provide some expert answers?
FYI
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