A cable connecting much of the Middle East with Europe knocked out much of the Internet service to the region, this AP report says. It notes that Saudi access was off in some areas, but others were having no major problem. This is likely due to the fact that many Saudis rely on satellite systems, completely bypassing the cable.

UPDATE: According to Arab News, an estimated 50% of Saudi Internet users were left without service: Undersea Cable Cut Disrupts Internet Access

Damaged Cable KOs Internet in Mideast

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — Internet outages disrupted business and personal usage across a wide swathe of the Middle East on Wednesday after an undersea cable in the Mediterranean was damaged, government officials and Internet service providers said.

In Cairo, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology said the cut in the international communications cable had led to a partial disruption of Internet services and other telecommunications across much of Egypt.

At the Egyptian stock market, IT department engineer Mahmoud Mansour said the disruptions did not affect the operations at the exchange.

Emergency teams were quickly trying to find alternative routes, including by satellites, to end the disruptions, said Minister Tariq Kamel. But service was still slow or nonexistent by late afternoon Wednesday.
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