As the Houthi armed forces continue to attack commercial ships in the Red Sea, an underwater communication cable connecting the two continents of Eurasia was suddenly damaged in late February. This incident is still unfolding. Foreign media believe that this event exposes the vulnerability of global communication infrastructure, especially the security threats faced by critical nodes.

Bloomberg reports that the damaged underwater cable is managed by a South African company, which believes the damage occurred at a depth of 150 to 170 meters underwater, and the area has recently seen frequent attacks on commercial ships by Houthi forces. The Wall Street Journal reported on the 3rd that previous damages to underwater communication cables were mostly caused by fishing boats dragging nets or anchoring of navigation vessels. Although Houthi personnel had previously threatened the underwater communication cables in the Red Sea on social media, after the cable was damaged, the Houthis issued a statement denying responsibility, and it is currently unclear whether the damage was caused by intentional sabotage by the Houthis.

U.S. magazine Foreign Policy quoted an analysis by a senior executive from a telecom market research company called TeleGeography, stating that over 99% of global intercontinental communication is transmitted through underwater communication cables, and defense agencies also rely heavily on these cables. The Red Sea is crucial for information connectivity between Asia and Europe. The report suggests that underwater infrastructure is becoming increasingly important for the global economy, and traditional escort operations should also consider how to protect maritime communication lines.

According to Bloomberg statistics, there are a total of 16 communication cable systems in the Red Sea region connecting the two continents of Eurasia. The affected South African company has quickly taken response measures regarding the damage to the Red Sea cable, but how to repair the damaged cable is still under evaluation. The company has contacted a cable repair company under UAE Telecom to develop a repair plan and is studying whether military escort or armed security is needed.

The Wall Street Journal states that the current situation in the Red Sea region is not peaceful, and the cost of laying underwater cables in potential conflict areas is high and extremely dangerous, with insurance costs for related vessels potentially reaching $150,000 per day. Additionally, since the eastern part of the Red Sea where the incident occurred is controlled by the Yemeni government and the western part is controlled by the Houthi armed forces, the cable-laying party usually needs to apply for operating permits from both sides to avoid trouble.

In response to the potential risks facing the underwater communication cables in the Red Sea, the industry is actually considering bypassing the Red Sea and choosing other routes for Eurasian connectivity. The Wall Street Journal reports that some companies in the industry are considering using land communication routes, which would completely avoid the Red Sea area. However, this arrangement, which relies on the communication network of a specific country, may lead to local telecom companies taking the opportunity to charge exorbitant fees, and there may also be other obstacles set by the country where the facilities are located, making it less convenient than underwater communication cables. Although the safety of the Red Sea communication cables has become a focus of international attention, companies in the industry are still continuing their underwater pipeline laying operations in the area. American tech giants Google and Facebook are supporting different companies in laying underwater communication cables in the Red Sea, and construction is currently underway.

Communications and internet expert Ma Jihua told Global Times reporters on the 4th that submarine cables are very important global infrastructure, playing a crucial role in long-distance communication and internet information transmission. Compared to aerial communication, submarine cables have higher transmission efficiency and capacity. International communication is a mesh structure, and the damage to one node or line will not completely block information transmission, but it will cause information communication to 'take a detour', increasing delays, causing congestion on other lines, and even leading to transmission errors. Although the damage to the submarine cable will not turn surrounding areas into 'information islands', the impact on information transmission is still quite noticeable.

It is worth noting that the damaged cable includes the Asia-Africa-Europe 1 submarine cable system (AAE-1), which was put into commercial use in 2017, connecting Hong Kong, China to France. This submarine cable was initiated and led by China Unicom in 2012. As of the evening of the 4th, China Unicom has not released any information regarding the operation of AAE-1. Communications industry analyst Li Zhe told Global Times reporters on the 4th that the damage to multiple submarine cables may have a certain impact on surrounding areas, but since there are multiple different lines available for choice between the Eurasian continent, operators usually also have 'backups', so it will not significantly affect China's network communication.

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