As the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran intensifies across West Asia, a new and largely unseen threat is beginning to draw global attention—one that lies far beneath the ocean’s surface. Critical undersea fibre-optic cables, the backbone of the modern internet, are now at risk amid rising geopolitical tensions in key maritime corridors such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
In today’s hyper-connected world, submarine cable networks form the foundation of global communication. According to the International Telecommunication Union, nearly 99 per cent of international internet traffic is transmitted through these undersea cables. Stretching across oceans, they quietly carry everything from financial transactions and emails to streaming data and government communications.
While Iran has not explicitly threatened this infrastructure, concerns are mounting due to the involvement of Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the conflict. The group has, in the past, issued warnings about targeting fibre-optic cables in the Red Sea, raising fears of potential sabotage. Though such an act would mark a significant escalation, the mere possibility has already triggered alarm among policymakers and industry experts.
For India, the stakes are particularly high. Around 60 per cent of the country’s internet traffic travels through submarine cables running westward from Mumbai toward Europe via the Gulf region. The remaining traffic is routed eastward from Chennai through Singapore and the Pacific. This geographic concentration exposes a substantial portion of India’s digital infrastructure to instability in the Middle East.
Any disruption in these undersea routes could have far-reaching implications. While the internet is designed with redundancy—allowing traffic to be rerouted through alternate pathways—a sudden outage or damage to key cables can still strain the system. Increased congestion on backup routes may result in slower internet speeds, delayed transactions, and reduced service quality.
The Centre for Strategic and International Studies has identified the deliberate targeting of seabed infrastructure as an emerging global security threat. With approximately 17 submarine cables passing through the Red Sea alone, the region represents a critical chokepoint in global data flows.
Each submarine cable is a complex structure comprising a fibre-optic core, copper wiring, insulation layers, and protective sheathing. These cables transmit vast volumes of data—often exceeding 100 gigabytes per second—and can take up to a year to install. Repairing them, especially in conflict zones, is both time-consuming and expensive.
Even without a complete shutdown, partial disruptions can have cascading effects. Telecom operators may be forced to reroute traffic, leading to congestion and inefficiencies. For businesses, especially those reliant on real-time data—such as financial services and global capability centres—this can translate into slower operations and potential revenue losses.
Amajit Gupta, CEO of Lightstorm Telecom Connectivity Pvt. Ltd, noted that while the internet is unlikely to collapse entirely, sustained disruptions could gradually degrade performance. As data demand continues to rise, repeated “choke points” in the network may become increasingly visible to end users.
If cable damage forces traffic onto already burdened routes, users could experience a range of issues—from slower browsing speeds and increased buffering to delays in financial transactions and cloud-based services. Upload and download speeds may drop, and applications could respond sluggishly, affecting both individual users and enterprises.
In an era where digital infrastructure underpins nearly every aspect of economic and social activity, the vulnerability of undersea cables highlights a critical blind spot. As geopolitical tensions spill into maritime domains, safeguarding these hidden lifelines is becoming an urgent priority—not just for the countries directly involved, but for the global digital ecosystem as a whole.
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