Submarine Cable Damage Reported Between Lithuania and Sweden
/ 3 min read
Quick take - On November 17, 2024, the BCS East-West Interlink submarine cable connecting Lithuania and Sweden was damaged, but the overall impact on Internet connectivity was minimal due to Europe’s robust infrastructure and alternative routing options, a trend mirrored by a subsequent cable cut affecting Finland and Germany.
Fast Facts
- On November 17, 2024, the BCS East-West Interlink submarine cable connecting Lithuania and Sweden was damaged, impacting about one-third of Lithuania’s Internet capacity.
- Despite the damage, connectivity remained stable due to Europe’s robust Internet infrastructure and alternative routing options, with no significant changes in traffic volumes reported.
- Fluctuations in Internet quality metrics were noted, but they did not correlate directly with the cable cut; an increase in latency in Sweden had already begun prior to the incident.
- A second cable, the C-Lion1, was damaged on November 18, 2024, but similarly, there was no significant impact on traffic volumes in Finland or Germany.
- Both incidents highlighted the importance of resilient network infrastructure, as multiple submarine cables and terrestrial connections helped mitigate potential disruptions.
Submarine Cable Damage in Europe
On November 17, 2024, at approximately 10:00 local time, the BCS East-West Interlink submarine cable, which connects Lithuania and Sweden, was damaged. This cable is crucial for Lithuania, accounting for about one-third of the country’s Internet capacity.
Minimal Impact on Connectivity
Despite the damage, the impact on connectivity was minimal due to the robust Internet infrastructure in Europe and alternative routing options. Cloudflare Radar data indicated no significant changes in traffic volumes in either Lithuania or Sweden at the time of the incident. There were fluctuations in Internet quality metrics, such as bandwidth and latency; however, these changes did not correlate directly with the cable cut. An increase in latency in Sweden had already begun before the cable damage occurred, suggesting it was unrelated.
Subsequent Cable Damage
In addition to these developments, the C-Lion1 submarine cable connecting Finland and Germany was damaged just a day later, on November 18, 2024, at around 02:00 UTC. Similar to the situation in the Baltic Sea, Cloudflare Radar data revealed no significant impact on traffic volumes in Finland or Germany following this cable cut. Internet quality metrics in Finland showed a temporary increase in bandwidth and a decrease in latency, but these fluctuations were not definitively linked to the cable damage. In Germany, a minor increase in bandwidth was recorded, while latency remained stable. No significant Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) announcement activity was observed in either Finland or Germany, indicating that routing operations were functioning normally.
Importance of Resilient Infrastructure
Both Lithuania and Sweden benefit from multiple submarine cables and terrestrial fiber connections, which enhance their Internet resilience. Likewise, Finland and Germany are connected by numerous submarine cables and terrestrial fiber routes, providing them with similar resilience. Despite the potential for cable cuts to cause significant disruptions, these incidents were managed effectively. This underscores the importance of building redundant and resilient network infrastructure to mitigate impacts from such incidents. Cloudflare, which monitors global Internet connectivity, noted these observations and continues to offer services aimed at enhancing Internet performance and security, including DDoS attack protection and support for Zero Trust initiatives.
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