Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Internet service still spotty in parts of Mideast | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Spotty Internet service continued to plague the Middle East as it began its work week Sunday, with service providers rerouting data detoured by severed underwater cables.

Emirati provider Etisalat says service is at about 85 percent capacity Sunday, the same as the previous day. The Abu Dhabi-based company has arranged to redirect some of its data traffic through South Asia, spokesman Saeed al-Badi says.

Dubai-based Emirates Integrated Telecommunications, better known as Du, said Saturday it was rerouting data and international voice traffic through Asia and the western United States. Officials could not immediately be reached Sunday.

Egypt’s Communications Ministry, for its part, made a similar announcement Saturday that it was rerouting traffic through Indian Ocean cables after the main ones in the Mediterranean were cut.

After there was no connection for Friday and and much of Saturday, internet service was restored to Egypt at around 70 percent capacity by Sunday.

The ministry said the repair work may take up to a week. Friday’s cut was the second large-scale Internet outage in the region this year.