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Internet problems in the UAE will be fixed soon, says etisalat
The Internet and voice traffic disruption plaguing the UAE since Friday is expected to be resolved by December 27, an etisalat spokesperson told Gulf News.
- By Nadia Saleem and Himendra Mohan Kumar, Staff Reporters
- Published: 15:07 December 21, 2008
- Image Credit: Gulf News Archive
- A break in undersea cable systems has caused internet connectivity problems for users in parts of the Middle East, Europe and South Asia recently.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi: The Internet and voice traffic disruption plaguing the UAE since Friday is expected to be resolved by December 27, an etisalat spokesperson told Gulf News.
Telecom operator du also issued a statement saying that majority of its capacity for voice and Internet usage has been restored.
The three cables that were severed in the Mediterranean Sea, connecting the Gulf and Asia to Europe and United States, will soon be repaired by France Telecom operator's marine ship. The European company has dispatched a cable ship which is expected to arrive on the site today and begin work immediately.
The ship will carry 20km of cable and repair the cable Sea Me We4 on priority. This cable should be operational by December 25, according to the company. Sea Me We3 will be next in line for recovery and by December 31 all cables are expected to be fully operational.
Traffic slowdown
The downtime has considerably slowed the Internet speed in the UAE, as well as voice traffic and especially international calls.
Meanwhile, much of the traffic has been re-routed by UAE's two telecom operators. du said in a statement that they are using cables in the Far East and Western United States to continue their linkage to severed areas.
In the Mediterranean Sea, three cables connecting the Middle East, Europe and America were cut, reducing Internet capacity to 85 per cent, according to etisalat, UAE's telecom operator.
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