Batelco said at least 60 per cent of all internet traffic has been restored and work was in progress to restore full internet and international phone services after three international cables got damaged on Friday.

The cables, Flag and SEA-ME-WE 3 & SEA-ME-WE 4, which are located in the Mediterranean, were cut, leading to slower browsing speeds to international locations, said a company statement.

Interruptions to services are being experienced not just in Bahrain but in countries across the Mena region, including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Egypt, it said.

The incident had taken place 1,861 kilometers from Alexandria Cable Station in Northern Egypt going towards Palermo in Italy.

As a result of the damage, all Batelco traffic and services on this particular route are temporarily affected. However local browsing in Bahrain remains undisturbed, said the statement.

On getting information about the cabel cut, Batelco immediately formed a dedicated ‘Code Red’ team, led by General Manager Networks & IT Ebrahim Zainal, responsible for maintaining Batelco telecommunications services.

The team will continue to be available 24/7 to monitor the traffic flow while restoring the main international links, stated Batelco general manager Media and Government Relations Ahmed Al Janahi. .

“Fortunately, Batelco is not dependent on these damaged links alone. We have many alternative internet service providers and we are working full speed ahead to restore crucial services via alternative links,” he added.

“At least 60 per cent of all internet traffic has been restored at this stage,” he added.
 
To minimise the impact on services, he said customers must give more priority to applications like browsing and email, which consume relatively less bandwidth than other applications such as file sharing which normally requires more bandwidth per user.

“We want to assure our customers that repair work is already underway by the providers and it is anticipated that full services will be resumed by December 27,” he explained.

“We regret any inconvenience to customers due to this international problem and appreciate their cooperation and understanding while the repair work is being completed,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service