On Saturday (September 6, 2025) multiple undersea submarine cables in the Red Sea had been severed, causing widespread internet disruptions across parts of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The incident serves as a stark reminder: the link that serves as global digital arteries. Fibre in Gulf (FIG) submarine cable is a strategic initiative to significantly enhance regional connectivity and solidify Ooredoo's leadership in digital infrastructure 30 January 2025 Ooredoo Group has signed a historic agreement to build a new submarine cable connecting seven countries in the. Microsoft said in a status update that the Middle East "may experience increased latency due to undersea fibre cuts in the Red Sea," but gave no other details. Fibre optic cables on the ocean Floor. File pic: iStock Internet access in parts of Asia and the Middle East was disrupted after undersea. Qatar and Saudi Arabia are investing in new terrestrial cable systems to relieve the strain on underwater cables in the Red Sea. This is part of a fundamental modernization strategy. Ooredoo, a Qatar-based communications company, plans to spend $500 million (€430 million) on new terrestrial fiber. Submarine cables are the bridges of our modern world. They enable people across continents to talk to each other at a minimal cost. Today, more than 95% of international data traffic flows through subsea cables, making them as critical to modern economies as air routes, ports, and energy pipelines. The cable will land in Qatar, Oman, the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq, providing 720Tbps of capacity across 24 fiber pairs.
