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Earthquake Damages Most of Asia`s Internet Connection

If you are located in Asia, you might not be able to be reading these lines, at least not when they were written. A 7.1-magnitude earthquake that hit off the coast of Taiwan recently proved to have destructive results in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and elsewhere. Internet and phone lines were damaged, and most of Asia`s internet users found themselves without a working connection.

Traders were not able to get stock quotes, and "newsoholics" were not able to go online and read through their favorite news sites. The internet has become a part of our daily routine to an extent that we sometimes do not even realize how much we need it. When you stop to think about it, losing your internet connection might have a grave impact on your daily routine. Although interferences were felts through the reign, some areas were less fortunate than others.

All six fiber optic cables that connect South Korea with Taiwan undersea were hit, according to the South Korean information and communication ministry. In Taiwan the damage was even greater and only 40 percent of the country`s internet network was online. Most people in Taiwan were not able to connect to the web and many others experienced problems when surfing. Not only the internet was damaged, but some mobile phone companies experienced difficulties and problems with providing their service. More aftershocks are expected to take place, and experts believe that it will take some time to fix everything.