Danger of internet shutdown across the world including India: If war with America escalates, Iran may cut internet cables laid in Hormuz, one-third of India’s westbound internet traffic goes through this route.

In fact, not only does 20% of the world’s crude oil and 25% of LNG pass through the Hormuz Route, but internet cables are also laid under this route. A huge network of ‘undersea fiber optic cables’ passes beneath this narrow path, which connects Asia to Europe and America. If tension increases in this area or cables are damaged, internet speed may slow down all over the world including India.

When and where can Iran cut internet cables?

Iran’s strategy is very simple. A large part of the global Internet passes under the waters of the Middle East. Iran can target it from two major chokepoints, which are the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz. There are 17 submarine cables in the Red Sea which connect Europe, Asia and Africa. The cables cut in the Red Sea in 2024 took 6 months to repair even in peacetime. Special repair ships cannot go to the war zone. There are 4 major cables in the Strait of Hormuz. AAE-1, FALCON, Gulf Bridge International and Tata-TGN Gulf. Iran can easily destroy them through underwater naval mines, ship anchors or underwater sabotage. If these cables are cut, Iran will not suffer any loss because their NIN will remain operational. But America, Europe and India will suffer losses worth billions of dollars.

97% of global data passes under the sea

Often people think that internet works through satellite, but the reality is different. About 95 to 97% of the world’s data is transferred through fiber optic cables. These cables are laid under the sea. The main cables connecting India to Europe, Africa and West Asia pass through this route. This includes large cable systems such as SEA-ME-WE, AAE-1 and EIG.

Why is the threat big for India?

This threat is even bigger for India because most of India’s internet traffic comes through these sea cables. If cables are cut in Hormuz, India’s banking system, stock market, e-commerce and IT sector may suffer huge losses. In this era of Digital India, shutdown of internet will not only affect the life of common people but can also cost the country’s economy billions of dollars. According to experts, international calling and online payment gateways in India may be completely disrupted, which is likely to create chaos.

• Latency will increase: If the cables are damaged, traffic will have to be diverted to the longer ‘Pacific Route’. This will increase latency i.e. data travel time.
• Internet will be slow: Buffering will increase on platforms like YouTube, Instagram and Netflix. There may also be problems with video calls and cloud services.

Impact on IT sector worth Rs 23.48 lakh crore

India’s IT and outsourcing sector is worth about $250 billion (23.48 lakh crore). Real-time connectivity with American and European clients rests on this low-latency network. In case of cable cut, companies may suffer huge losses, due to which there is a fear of service agreements (SLA) being broken and penalties being imposed. Apart from this, banking transactions like remittance (sending money) and SWIFT coming from Gulf countries may also slow down.

India is investing on new options

In view of this danger, many countries including India are now investing on alternative routes. Satellite internet services like Elon Musk’s Starlink are being seen as backup. In the future, there are plans to lay cables that can bypass sensitive areas. At present, the increasing geopolitical tension in Hormuz is raising the concern of the digital world more than oil prices.

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