Google, Meta Delay Red Sea Cables as Security Risks Rattle Plans
(Bloomberg) — Several undersea internet cables planned to cross the Red Sea have yet to be completed as planned, as political tensions and rising security threats have made the route more dangerous and complex for commercial ships.
Meta Platforms Inc.’s 2020 plans for 2Africa, a 45,000-kilometer (28,000-mile) undersea cable system, included a map showing how it would loop around the African continent to provide vital high-speed connectivity. While the company and its partners were preparing to announce the completion of the project, five years later, a significant part of the Red Sea remained unfinished.
A spokesman for Meta, which leads a consortium of telecommunications companies developing the cable, told 2Africa’s southern Red Sea segment had not yet been built due to “a number of operational factors, regulatory concerns and geopolitical risk”. Other consortium members did not respond to requests for comment.
Progress in the region has also been delayed on the Google-backed Blue-Raman cable, a spokesman for Alphabet Inc.’s Google said, without providing further details.
Other cables that are yet to go live across the Red Sea include India-Europe-Xpress, Sea-Me-We 6 and Africa-1. Representatives of the telecommunications companies involved in these cables either declined or did not respond to requests for comment.
Physical, fiber-optic cables running along seabeds are the fastest and most popular way to transmit internet data between continents. An estimated 400 cables carry more than 95% of global internet traffic. Damage from weather or passing ships can trigger widespread internet outages, especially in less connected areas.
The Red Sea has historically been the most direct and cost-effective route for internet data arteries connecting Europe to Asia and Africa. But construction is complicated by its conflict zone status and the delicate negotiations required by cable operators to obtain permits.
Repeated missile attacks on the canal by the Iran-backed Houthis, designated a terrorist organization by the United States and its allies, over the past two years have forced cargo ships into long detours and disrupted the work of private ships laying or repairing cables.
The outage is restricting supply of much-needed broadband in underserved countries, keeping prices high and internet speeds slower for consumers.
Delays also cause financial costs for cable owners and investors who have already paid suppliers for installation.
“Not only are they unable to monetize their investment by sending data over these cables, but they are also forced to purchase capacity on alternative cables to meet their short-term needs,” said Alan Mauldin, director of research at telecommunications data firm Telegeography.
The owner of Ireland-based subsea fiber specialist Aqua Comms sold the company at a discount in January, citing problems including an “indefinite delay” for EMIC-1, part of the 2Africa cable, “due to ongoing conflicts in the Red Sea,” according to a filing.
The Houthi-controlled telecommunications ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
The challenges of operating in the Red Sea have forced technology and telecommunications firms to rethink how they carry high volumes of internet traffic around the world.
While cargo ships can divert to the southern tip of Africa in relatively short order to avoid missile attacks, undersea cables are often planned years in advance of installation. Laying cables across the Red Sea without permission is nearly impossible, requiring lengthy negotiations between the various groups that control the strait. There are also safety concerns for private cable ships and their crews, Mauldin said.
A spokesperson for Meta said the company is involved in about 24 projects around the world and believes one of the best ways to reduce the risk of disruption is to diversify connection routes.
Telecom and technology companies are now considering alternative land routes via Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to bypass the Red Sea. Once considered too costly and indirect, these routes are increasingly becoming more viable options.
Even a route through Iraq, historically seen as geopolitically risky, has become a possible alternative. Asoz Rashid, CEO of IQ Group, which developed the route, said that many telecom companies, including UAE’s E&, Qatar’s Ooredoo and Gulf Bridge International, have purchased capacity on the Silk Road.
Other companies involved in the cables are considering applying for exemption from the U.S. Treasury Department to communicate directly with the Houthi-backed government sanctioned in Sanaa, Yemen, and get permission to continue working, according to people familiar with the matter. They asked to remain anonymous because the information is confidential. They are also considering asking for help from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the sources said.
The Red Sea corridor is now seen as a “critical, high-risk single point of failure”, Rashid said.
Ultimately, moving away from the Red Sea “will lead to a much more resilient infrastructure with a variety of connectivity points from the Middle East and Africa to Europe,” Mauldin said.
–With help from Mark Bergen and Rose Henderson.
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