Internet services may take weeks to return

Internet and phone access in Asia may take at least two weeks to resume full services after earthquakes that struck Taiwan damaged all seven undersea cables. From Bloomberg:

Chunghwa Telecom Co., the island's biggest phone company, said four ships are heading to the site off Taiwan's south coast for repairs starting Jan. 2 that may take two to three weeks. KDDI Corp., Japan's second-biggest carrier, said such operations can take "several weeks to months.''

Companies from Kuwait Finance House, the Persian Gulf's largest Islamic investment bank, to Nippon Yusen K.K., Japan's biggest shipping line, are suffering from the loss of online services after a 7.1 magnitude quake struck southern Taiwan on Dec. 26. Cable operators are using back-up systems to help alleviate the bottleneck as parts of Hong Kong, China, Singapore and India remain without access.

"In terms of lost business, that amount will exceed the amount for repairs,'' Rob Enderle, an analyst with the research firm Enderle Group in San Jose, California. "Think of the trading organizations that exist in these geographies that trade in world markets that can't trade right now.''

Previously: Taiwan earthquake disrupting internet