back to article SeaMeWe-3 submarine cable spur borked until November 10th

Rumbles are again reaching The Reg's ears about the state of the SeaMeWe-3 submarine cable. The cable's been a mess in recent times, going down in December 2014 and then again in September 2015. A repair job in October was thought to have sorted things out, but chatter among network operators suggest the cable's operators are …

  1. John Tserkezis

    "So what's going on down there?"

    The NSA is having trouble installing their tap.

    Or, is the Australian Goverment's Internet Filter (tm) installation is proceeding like their NBN install?

    Or... where's my tin foil cap, oh , here it is.

    1. Kevin McMurtrie Silver badge

      You might notice that your tinfoil hat is heavier than usual and has some small protruding wires. It's nothing to worry about. A figure in black suit sat on it by accident, felt sorry, and made some repairs.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Gimp

        New ...and improved

        Still looks like tinfoil. Actually now 210poloniumfoil.

    2. Stevie

      where's my tin foil cap

      Shiny side out, man!

  2. Mephistro
    Coat

    "...stray anchors, nets, submarine earthquakes, hostile underwater vessels and highly-trained Al Qaeda laser-wielding whales."

    You forgot about copper thieves!

    Yes, I'm leaving already...

    1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

      Cable theft has happened in the past. There was one fairly recently near Singapore. Given the power going through most submarine cables, it's likely to be semi-Darwinian. If not, I think the lot that did this were sentenced to death anyway.

    2. Stevie

      Copper Thieves

      "Nice internet wire you got there squire. Be a shame if summat were to 'appen to it, wooden it?"

  3. Knoydart
    Stop

    Indonesian Government permits?

    Is this delay tied into the locals wanting to issue permits to repair / use only local crews? Or have the Indonesians finally seen sense and seen that cable laying and repair is an international game

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Big Brother

    In totally unrelated news

    USS Jimmy Carter has been brought into dock until 6th Nov for repairs after an operational mishap last month...

    ;)

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    SeaMeWe

    I've never meant to visit that site, I swear!

    I was only looking for info on my urinary tract infection....

  6. Winkypop Silver badge
    Devil

    We have submarine cables into WA?

    I thought it was all done with camel trains and the telegraph!

  7. x 7

    some big sharks around there, and we all know how much they are attracted to, and like biting, sources of electrical fields

    and as I've pointed out before, those Coelocanths have very bony jaws.....

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    SeMeWe-3 has been having extensive issues over the last 2 years. Expect a cut/break every 1-3 months on that path. The issue is that it's still cheaper than SeWeMe-4, so it carries more than the usual level of traffic.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      so it carries more than the usual level of traffic

      So what you're saying is that Ozzie grumble mining has worn the cable through from the inside out?

  9. Chozo
    Joke

    Latency issues?

    I will tell you about it later.

  10. Alistair
    Windows

    SeaMeWe3 problems.

    Its all those jihadi terrorist commercial pilots!

    <apologies, that was mean, but the territory is correct, and the bash is on the media not the pilots>

  11. Alan Brown Silver badge

    Most likely culprit

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMxkRh7sx84

  12. Stevie

    Bah!

    Azathoth's Nebular Nodes, that's a creepy picture! Put me right off me bacon flavored algae sandwich with HP brown sauce substitute.

    This cable nonsense does not explain the long latency my AT&T portable hotspot provides when trying to get a glimpse of today's Schlock Mercenary episode though. Questions Must Be Asked.

  13. JeffyPoooh
    Pint

    The technology to bury the repaired cables immediately exists...

    I saw it on TV, a show about a Might (Cable Laying) Ship with a flat bottom that can park on the bottom at low tide.

    They had a underwater sand blower machine to re-bury the cable where required.

    But deep down (1km+), they don't bother.

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