Internet collapses in war-torn Yemen over ‘maintenance’ involving undersea line
Internet collapses in war-torn Yemen over 'maintenance' involving undersea line The Associated Press
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Internet Access in Yemen Disrupted Due to Maintenance Work
On Friday, internet access throughout war-torn Yemen experienced a complete collapse, remaining down for several hours. The outage was later attributed to unannounced “maintenance work” by officials.
YemenNet Outage
The interruption, which began early on Friday, resulted in a complete halt of all internet traffic at YemenNet, the country’s primary internet service provider serving approximately 10 million users. YemenNet is currently controlled by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis. NetBlocks, a group that monitors internet outages, and CloudFlare, an internet services company, both reported the outage. However, neither organization provided a specific cause for the disruption.
“Data shows that the issue has impacted connectivity at a national level as well,” stated CloudFlare.
By late Friday, internet service had been fully restored.
Statement from Yemen’s Public Telecom Corp.
In a statement to the Houthi-controlled SABA state news agency, Yemen’s Public Telecom Corp. attributed the outage to maintenance work. An unidentified official quoted in the statement mentioned that internet service would be reinstated once the maintenance work was completed.
The undersea FALCON cable, which carries internet connectivity into Yemen through the Hodeida port along the Red Sea for TeleYemen, was identified as a key factor in the outage. The FALCON cable also has a landing in Yemen’s far eastern port of Ghaydah. However, the majority of Yemen’s population resides in the west along the Red Sea.
GCX, the company responsible for operating the cable, later issued a statement confirming that “scheduled maintenance took place” involving the line.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
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SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- Target 9.c: Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the internet in least developed countries by 2020.
- Indicator 9.c.1: Proportion of population covered by a mobile network, by technology.
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SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
- Target 16.10: Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements.
- Indicator 16.10.2: Number of countries that adopt and implement constitutional, statutory, and/or policy guarantees for public access to information.
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure | Target 9.c: Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the internet in least developed countries by 2020. | Indicator 9.c.1: Proportion of population covered by a mobile network, by technology. |
| SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions | Target 16.10: Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements. | Indicator 16.10.2: Number of countries that adopt and implement constitutional, statutory, and/or policy guarantees for public access to information. |
Analysis
The article highlights an internet outage in Yemen, which is relevant to SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. The outage disrupted internet access across the country, affecting around 10 million users. This issue is connected to Target 9.c of SDG 9, which aims to increase access to information and communications technology, including universal and affordable access to the internet in least developed countries by 2020. The outage directly hinders the achievement of this target.
The article also mentions that the outage impacted connectivity at a national level, indicating a disruption in the proportion of the population covered by a mobile network. This aligns with Indicator 9.c.1, which measures the proportion of the population covered by a mobile network, by technology.
Furthermore, the article indirectly relates to SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. The outage can be seen as a restriction on public access to information, which is essential for ensuring transparency and protecting fundamental freedoms. This connects to Target 16.10 of SDG 16, which aims to ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms. The article does not explicitly mention any indicators related to this target.
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Source: apnews.com
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