Flood in Egypt Disrupts Submarine Cables: Significant RTT Anomalies Detected

Flood in Egypt: What Happened

On October 30, 2026, a green alert level was declared in Egypt due to flooding. The event affected coastal areas, including Alexandria and Abu Talat, where key submarine cable connection points are located. The flood continues, and its effects are already beginning to impact the submarine telecommunications infrastructure.

Cables in Flood Zone

In a radius of 500 km from the flood zone, several significant submarine cables are located. Among them is Hawk (3400 km, RFS 2011, FLAG), passing through Alexandria, and Europe India Gateway (EIG) (15000 km, RFS 2011, AT&T, Altice Portugal), as well as Middle East North Africa (MENA) Cable System/Gulf Bridge International (8000 km, RFS 2014, Gulf Bridge International, Telecom Egypt), both of which pass through Abu Talat. Also in the zone are TE North/TGN-Eurasia/SEACOM/Alexandros/Medex (3634 km, RFS 2011, Algerie Telecom, Cyta) and BERYTAR (134 km, RFS 1997, Lebanese Ministry of Telecommunications, Syrian Telecommunications Establishment), the latter of which passes through Sidon, Lebanon. The new cable EMC West-1 (3639 km, RFS 2027, EMC Subsea Cable Company Limited) is also close to the flood zone but is not yet in operation.

Measurements: Anomalies Detected

Our measurements show significant changes in round-trip time (RTT) on several cables. On Hawk, the delay increased from 62.3 ms to 118.2 ms, which is an increase of 55.9 ms (6.6σ above baseline). On EIG, RTT rose from 153.0 ms to 204.2 ms (+51.2 ms, 2.3σ). MENA Cable System/Gulf Bridge International showed increases from 156.4 ms to 182.0 ms (+25.6 ms, 4.3σ) and from 165.0 ms to 193.4 ms (+28.4 ms, 19.5σ) depending on the route. The TE North/TGN-Eurasia/SEACOM/Alexandros/Medex cable recorded a rise in RTT from 73.1 ms to 106.5 ms (+33.4 ms, 2.1σ). The largest anomaly was observed on BERYTAR, where RTT increased from 116.8 ms to 188.1 ms (+71.3 ms, 13.9σ).

Impacts on Internet Traffic

A significant increase in delay on key cables such as Hawk and EIG may affect the quality of internet services, especially for users relying on routes through Egypt. An increase in RTT can lead to slower data transmission, which is particularly critical for applications requiring low latency, such as video conferencing and online games. Additionally, if flooding damages terrestrial infrastructure, it could exacerbate the situation.

Plans for Further Monitoring

We will continue to monitor the condition of submarine cables in the flood zone, paying special attention to the Hawk, EIG, MENA, and BERYTAR cables, where significant anomalies have already been detected. We will also monitor new cables such as EMC West-1, which may be brought into service in the near future. Special attention will be given to restoring normal RTT levels and potential damage to infrastructure.