What nobody seems to be talking about.

[Bad_azz]

I see all the news about Iran/US/Israel etc.
People are worried (and rightly so) about fuel supplies.
Has anyone considered the real threat to the internet and its potential disruption- even if the cables are not directly under attack themselves, it seems that all repairs are on hold and stray detonations or debris from the conflict could adversely affect the cables .
Could you survive for long without the internet and all the things that would be in a brown out- banking/GoPay/work etc. etc.
From my research it seems we are at a 'more than 50% chance' of being very adversely affected here in Asia by disrepair or broken cable.
Apparently the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea carry 95-99% of data in the 'bridge ' between the West & Asia.
So, whilst many are complaining about the potential fuel prices and how terrible the whole situation is, have you really considered what might be at risk?
Are you prepared for potentially 6 months of life where we go back to 90s era speeds, where video calls would likely not happen, where the best bet might be an email or a Whatsapp text message?
If the cables become compromised then we know for sure the government and military would prioritise their use before that of you and I.
I am not trying to be a weirdo prepper nor am I trying to scare people into panic- quite the opposite, I am asking people to just think about how they would cope... before it happens and maybe take one or two measures to ensure they are not caught with their pants down IF it does.

War in the Gulf Severs the World's Digital Arteries: How the Iran Conflict Is Reshaping Global Connectivity - Submarine Networks

The escalating conflict between Iran and a U.S.-led coalition has dealt a critical blow to global digital infrastructure, forcing Meta to halt work on the 2Africa Pearls. Simultaneous closure of the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz forces professionals to Rebuild a Secure Eurasia Digital Corridor.

www.submarinenetworks.com

What If Iran Cuts Internet Cables in the Strait of Hormuz?

If Iran disrupts undersea internet cables in the Strait of Hormuz, it could severely impact global data flow, financial systems, cloud services, and India's internet connectivity.

www.legacyias.com

[Edits: To add URLs and fix typos]

 

[Hawk256]

Indonesia is connected to numerous international submarine cable systems, serving as a critical hub connecting Southeast Asia to the world. Key international cables include
Bifrost (US-Singapore), SMW-5 (Southeast Asia-Europe), Apricot, Echo, and Matrix Cable System, which provide crucial low-latency connectivity to major hubs like Singapore and the US.
Matrix NAP

I spent the last 30 years in communications. There are always multiple routes to connect. Some will be slower than others but that doesn't mean the system goes down completely. A quick reroute and a few added milliseconds and you are back in business. Sounds like mostly fear mongering to me. If I had designed a system with only one route, I would have been fired on day one. It just doesn't work that way.

 

[snpark]

Bit of an over reaction there methinks

Indonesia is connected the other way via Singapore and Asia. And every country island etc has numerous routes and cables and a lot of satellites also

I can assure you that you will still be able to tweet and X and livestream that you have no food or water or fuel.

Don't worry about the internet. Or banking. Lol.

 

[snpark]

I see all the news about Iran/US/Israel etc.
People are worried (and rightly so) about fuel supplies.
Has anyone considered the real threat to the internet and its potential disruption- even if the cables are not directly under attack themselves, it seems that all repairs are on hold and stray detonations or debris from the conflict could adversely affect the cables .
Could you survive for long without the internet and all the things that would be in a brown out- banking/GoPay/work etc. etc.
From my research it seems we are at a 'more than 50% chance' of being very adversely affected here in Asia by disrepair or broken cable.
Apparently the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea carry 95-99% of data in the 'bridge ' between the West & Asia.
So, whilst many are complaining about the potential fuel prices and how terrible the whole situation is, have you really considered what might be at risk?
Are you prepared for potentially 6 months of life where we go back to 90s era speeds, where video calls would likely not happen, where the best bet might be an email or a Whatsapp text message?
If the cables become compromised then we know for sure the government and military would prioritise their use before that of you and I.
I am not trying to be a weirdo prepper nor am I trying to scare people into panic- quite the opposite, I am asking people to just think about how they would cope... before it happens and maybe take one or two measures to ensure they are not caught with their pants down IF it does.

War in the Gulf Severs the World's Digital Arteries: How the Iran Conflict Is Reshaping Global Connectivity - Submarine Networks

The escalating conflict between Iran and a U.S.-led coalition has dealt a critical blow to global digital infrastructure, forcing Meta to halt work on the 2Africa Pearls. Simultaneous closure of the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz forces professionals to Rebuild a Secure Eurasia Digital Corridor.

www.submarinenetworks.com

What If Iran Cuts Internet Cables in the Strait of Hormuz?

If Iran disrupts undersea internet cables in the Strait of Hormuz, it could severely impact global data flow, financial systems, cloud services, and India's internet connectivity.

www.legacyias.com

[Edits: To add URLs and fix typos]

Not sure also where you heard or read that all the underwater cables pass through the Suez canal? Since that's the only access to Mediterranean

 

[Bad_azz]

Indonesia is connected to numerous international submarine cable systems, serving as a critical hub connecting Southeast Asia to the world. Key international cables include
Bifrost (US-Singapore), SMW-5 (Southeast Asia-Europe), Apricot, Echo, and Matrix Cable System, which provide crucial low-latency connectivity to major hubs like Singapore and the US.
Matrix NAP

I spent the last 30 years in communications. There are always multiple routes to connect. Some will be slower than others but that doesn't mean the system goes down completely. A quick reroute and a few added milliseconds and you are back in business. Sounds like mostly fear mongering to me. If I had designed a system with only one route, I would have been fired on day one. It just doesn't work that way.

Interesting, and thank you for your response, I was not under the impression that the system would wipe out but more that it would hit a go slow mode - lagging, and streaming maybe not covered so well but that there may well be some effects .
I am always happy to learn more about these things as I like varied sources for my info.
Nice to know things are not THAT critical.

 

[Bad_azz]

Bit of an over reaction there methinks

Indonesia is connected the other way via Singapore and Asia. And every country island etc has numerous routes and cables and a lot of satellites also

I can assure you that you will still be able to tweet and X and livestream that you have no food or water or fuel.

Don't worry about the internet. Or banking. Lol.

Satellites are not able to carry all the traffic.
As for your other comments -I have a decent set up where I am and have had it for years- internet loss isn't an issue for me personally or banks going offline.

As for the details of how submarine data cables and transponders etc are at risk- there is info out there and how the ordinary person is supposed to know what they get is true or dodgy in respect to information is partly why I am posting- who do we find out real info from?
You always have critcism, derision and opinions but do you have any useful info to contribute?

 

[Bad_azz]

Not sure also where you heard or read that all the underwater cables pass through the Suez canal? Since that's the only access to Mediterranean

I never said all of them- or Suez
Here is the submarine data cable map:

Submarine Cable Map

TeleGeography's comprehensive and regularly updated interactive map of the world's major submarine cable systems and landing stations.

www.submarinecablemap.com

 

[snpark]

Well just curious how an underwater cable gets from say Dubai to Cyprus since that is the only way through under water

And just reassuring you. Relax. All the important stuff would work fine.

I think I contribute enough useful stuff that once a month I can cut loose lol. Standing in for Shadrach

 

[snpark]

Oh bugger now I lost all my favourite recent emoji replaced by a stupid volcano. Karma I guess

 

[snpark]

Anyway point was relax. As Mr Hawk said we are outside the axis of evil. I'd rather be connect to SG JP Korea Taiwan etc than be going through Europe Egypt etc.
I think all their stuff is fibre-optic 6G etc where as Egypt probably still 3G quality?

 

[jstar]

I think all their stuff is …… 6G

2030

 

[snpark]

2030

That's only weeks away Sir. Scary

 

[Hawk256]

Even if Indonesia had to get to Europe through the Asia- US Pacific Cable and then the US-Europe Atlantic Cable, at the speed of light you are only talking about a few milliseconds difference (plus add a few more milliseconds for interconnect and signaling). The capacity on those cables are huge and built for years into the future. I think we are talking about a minor hiccup and nothing more. And for snpark, fibre optic G ratings are completely different from wireless phone ratings but I get what your point was.

 

[snpark]

Yes i obviously didn't mean literal 3G etc but cables our side of the map tend to be new and faster whereas the Euro ones still 1980's standard speeds because harder to lay transatlantic as opposed to shallow and shorter distance between Asia countries

 

[pantaiema]

I never said all of them- or Suez
Here is the submarine data cable map:

Submarine Cable Map

TeleGeography's comprehensive and regularly updated interactive map of the world's major submarine cable systems and landing stations.

www.submarinecablemap.com

Despite the massive growth in satellite technology (like Starlink), in Indonesia satellites still carry less than 1% of the internet traffic.

An official technical report from Indonesia's largest telecommunications provider confirms that more than 99% of the country's internet traffic relies on submarines cable infrastructure.

Fortunately, this cable is difficult to be reached out out by the missiles. But if there is a war between Indonesia and other countries (unlikely), all the enemy need to do is to send a shadow Fleet Vessels to cut these submarines cable to cause a major disruption.