The Global Internet Is on the Brink: 99% of Worldwide Traffic Depends on Cables That, Like in the Red Sea, Can Be Cut at Any Moment

Written by Carla Teles

Published on 15/09/2025 at 17:45

Um corte de cabos no Mar Vermelho expôs a fragilidade da internet global. Entenda os riscos para a infraestrutura que carrega 99% dos dados mundiais e quais as alternativas.

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Episode Shows Risks of the Infrastructure That Carries 99% of World Traffic and Pressures for Solutions Beyond Fiber Optics.

Uninterrupted internet connections have become as essential as running water and electricity. However, a major network outage that affected Africa, Asia, and the Middle East in recent days exposed the fragility of the infrastructure that keeps us online.

The Immediate Impact of the Break in the Red Sea

About 15 submarine cables pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea. Four of them are reported to have been broken. This break caused a significant impact on data traffic in those regions.

The Dependence on 99% of Submarine Infrastructure

Hundreds of cables rest on the ocean floor. They are responsible for carrying almost all of the global internet traffic, estimated at 99%.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

An Announced Accident and a Complex Repair

Although previous failures have been caused intentionally, experts believe that this case was an accident.

“The Red Sea is a problematic area… Ships anchor in shallow waters, and when many drop anchor in a small space, the disaster is almost inevitable,” explains Madory.

Normally, cable cuts are repaired quickly. However, the current location makes the situation more complex. The area is near the coast of Yemen, where conflicts hinder technical work for repairs.

Satellite Internet Emerges as an Alternative

The interruptions, which are expected to persist, have reignited the debate about the reliability of submarine cables. There is discussion about whether alternatives, such as satellite connections, can reduce this dependence. Companies like Starlink offer this service.

It is estimated that up to 200 incidents of this type occur each year. This number reinforces the interest in alternatives to cables.

Starlink, for example, has become crucial in Ukraine to avoid Russian sabotage on cables. The service already has over six million subscribers in various countries. In regions like sub-Saharan Africa, the service acts as a safety net when terrestrial connectivity fails.

Fiber Optics vs. Satellite: The Capacity Battle

Experts believe that incidents like the one in the Red Sea may accelerate the adoption of satellites. This would happen in markets willing to pay more for resilience.

The challenge is still the cost. The kits cost hundreds of dollars. Moreover, the monthly fees are higher than local plans, which limits reach in low-income areas.

Still, satellites cannot compete in scale with fiber optics.

“Starlink or any other satellite service will never replicate the capacity obtained in a fiber optic cable,” says Madory.

While submarine cables carry up to three petabits of data per second, satellites reach only 150 terabits. Planned launches may raise this capacity to 800 terabits. For now, submarine cables remain the backbone of the global internet.

The Global Internet Is on the Brink: 99% of Worldwide Traffic Depends on Cables That, Like in the Red Sea, Can Be Cut at Any Moment

Episode Shows Risks of the Infrastructure That Carries 99% of World Traffic and Pressures for Solutions Beyond Fiber Optics.

The Immediate Impact of the Break in the Red Sea

The Dependence on 99% of Submarine Infrastructure

An Announced Accident and a Complex Repair

Satellite Internet Emerges as an Alternative

Fiber Optics vs. Satellite: The Capacity Battle

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The Global Internet Is on the Brink: 99% of Worldwide Traffic Depends on Cables That, Like in the Red Sea, Can Be Cut at Any Moment

Episode Shows Risks of the Infrastructure That Carries 99% of World Traffic and Pressures for Solutions Beyond Fiber Optics.

The Immediate Impact of the Break in the Red Sea

The Dependence on 99% of Submarine Infrastructure

An Announced Accident and a Complex Repair

Satellite Internet Emerges as an Alternative

Fiber Optics vs. Satellite: The Capacity Battle

The Soviet Union spent 22 years drilling into the Earth’s crust and reached a depth of 12,262 meters — they found water where it was thought impossible, hydrogen bubbling from the rock, granite that is 2.7 billion years old, and temperatures of 180 degrees that melted the drill bits.

Egypt wants to draw 10 million cubic meters of water from the Nile per day into the desert, irrigate a new agricultural frontier, and build a city where there is currently only sand.

Ethiopia has banned gasoline and diesel cars, placed over a hundred silent electric buses on the streets of Addis Ababa, and now aims for half a million electric vehicles by 2030, all powered by Africa’s largest dam and a courage that few countries have shown.

Norway is drilling 27 kilometers of rock 392 meters below the bottom of a fjord to build the world’s largest and deepest underwater road tunnel — when completed, a 21-hour journey will be reduced to 10.

An astronaut spent 340 days in space while his twin brother stayed on Earth, and NASA found a “rejuvenating” effect, genes, microbiome, cognition, and immune system that revealed the biological cost of living outside the planet.

After 14 years of construction and a diplomatic crisis that nearly led to a military confrontation over control of the Nile, Ethiopia inaugurated the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa — the dam is 170 meters high, holds 74 billion cubic meters of water, and generates 5,150 megawatts.

New York City subway passengers change plans when the weather is severe, and a study shows why heavy rain reduces night trips while extreme cold hardly affects the routine.

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