Cable damage disrupts Egypt, Gulf telecoms and Internet

CAIRO (AFP) - Damage to a submarine cable in the Mediterranean caused disruption to Internet services in Egypt and Kuwait and to telephone services in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, officials said.

"A communication cable in the Mediterranean Sea was cut, which led to partial disruptions to Internet and communication services in Egypt," Egyptian Minister of Communication and Information Technology Tareq Kamel said.

The minister, who did not elaborate, said an emergency team had been formed to try to find alternative communication channels, with a ministry statement saying it could take several days for services to return to normal.

In Kuwait, the communications ministry said two cables in the Mediterranean off Alexandria had been cut, affecting traffic around the region, and causing slower than normal service in the Gulf emirate.

Spokesman Ahmed Ramadan said the incident was the result of "weather conditions and maritime traffic" and that it would take 12 to 15 days to repair the cables.

He added that Kuwait was seeking "alternative solutions" and hoped to return to normal Internet service in three to five days.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, Emirati providers Etisalat and Du said international telephone services were affected and that they were working to restore services as quickly as possible, the United Arab Emirates' WAM news agency reported.