Mystery of the Undersea Cables & Internet future

Given our earlier discussion on the cutting of the internet cables earlier, today the news came that a 5th cable was cut off (or powerd off?) and entire Iran went off the internet!  So, all of a sudden the entire region of Middle East is infested with internet cables cutting ships.  Apparently, all the clumsy sailors have converged in that area in the last two week?

This is surely too much of a coincidence.  Many players are meanwhile being blamed as Bonnie.net avers:

* U.S. Government
   * Israeli Government
   * Aliens
   * Underwater Monsters
   * The Cloverfield Monster
   * Rudy Giuliani

I would add Iranian Government, Terrorist organizations, and US telecom companies as well into this pot of suspects! 🙂  The more the merrier!

Here is a picture of where these incidents have happened – (courtesy: Bonnie.net)

Strangely, as we had feared that there is more than meets the eye.  Egyptian Ministry of Communication has come out to say that no ship passed through that area where cables were cut (or at least on the surface, none did or should have!).  Then how were the cables cut off?

The Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology said Sunday that no ships had passed through the area in the Mediterranean where two cables, known as the Sea Me We 4 and Flag’s Europe-Asia cable, were cut earlier last week.

“The site is a restricted area, which excludes the possibility that the malfunction resulted from a crossing ship,” the ministry said in a statement. Internet efficiency in Egypt has reached about 70 percent, the statement said.

Currently the share of Undersea cables vs Satellite for the internet traffic is 90:10.  Given the ability of the terrorist outfits and some terror minded Governments and their agencies, it should actually be the opposite!

Now, a question – suppose a crazy dictator from Middle East (in conjunction with the rulers in Indonesia and/or Malaysia) goes mad and starts to have his Navy cut off 10-15 cables in one night on several places.  Where does the Google stock stand the next morning?

It is not as if Google has a factory full of widgets lying around that it can store and say “Ok, lemme wait it out and sell my widgets for a lower price or put some storage cost and sell later”.  If Google doesnt or cannot sell its seach now… it cannot sell!  That is the basic difference between Google and GE.  No wonder, I could never bring myself to buy that company’s stock!

So, in one night one crazy guy with his team of loonies can wipe out unimagined amount of wealth from the face of the earth!  And the funny thing is that none of the cash or Gold or any other physical form of wealth would have even been touched!  Isn’t it telling?  How much of the world’s wealth is notional?  Just virtual.. in papers.. in just the minds or computer screens.  Here are two guys from Google – amongst the richest with substantial airy wealth!  It fascinates me no end.