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A crash on the information superhighway sends telcos scrambling By ERIC ELLIS November 21, 2000 Web posted at 2:00 p.m. Hong Kong time, 1:00 a.m. EDT
The problem facing millions of frustrated Netheads in Asia and Australia lies on the seabed, about 100 kilometers off Singapore. That's where an undersea telecommunications cable that links Australia, Asia and Europe was ruptured at midnight Monday, causing chaos with Net connections around the region.
The scale of potential disruption is enormous and Net providers in Sydney have already been profusely apologizing for major Internet traffic jams and shutdowns. Interestingly, the hardest hit so far has Telstra, Australia's biggest Internet provider and the telco that has joined with Richard Li to revolutionize Asia's online experience. It relies on this cable for almost two-thirds of its online access. Given that so much of the Asian web is hosted abroad and comes to us via cables such as this, the drama is proving a big headache. No one is quite sure what has caused the interruption and subsequent gridlock on the information superhighway. Some reports suggest it might be something as innocent as a ship's anchor. This seems feasible as the cable largely tracks the shortest route between countries, which is also the route that ships track, particularly the waters around Singapore where tankers transit between the big trading centers of Japan, China and Europe. If you recall, this is the cable that was designed to speed up cross-border connections -- the famous "fat pipe" that is supposed to usher in the broadband future that will change our lives. That's how the PR pitch goes, which is all well and good as long as the cable is operating and is being constantly upgraded. This breakdown, however, shows how vulnerable the Internet Economy can be, especially if it's proved a ship's anchor was responsible. And it's not just about being unable to access your e-mails for 24 hours. Businesses suffer. Expect lawsuits to follow if the problem isn't rectified within a few days. Ticked off at Asia Buzz? Turned on? Talk back to TIME Write to TIME at mail@web.timeasia.com Search for recent Asia Buzz
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