DES Ministry Calls Thai Telecoms to Secure Cable Links
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- DES Ministry issued an urgent directive for Thai ISPs to raise preparedness, order risk assessments and business continuity plans for potential Middle East submarine cable disruptions.
- Chaichanok Chidchob instructed agencies to monitor the situation and develop immediate backup plans, emphasizing heightened surveillance.
- NBTC assured that any cable damage would likely cause only latency or minor speed reductions, not a total loss, due to diverse submarine routes.
- NT uses SEA‑M‑E‑4, AAE‑1, PEACE and SEA‑M‑E‑5, which together account for only 5% of total internet gateway traffic, and set up a 24‑hour NOC, war room, helpdesk and pre‑negotiated reroute paths to maintain service.
- True highlighted its diversified routing, including the Southeast Asia‑Japan Cable 2, and confirmed that its network, backed by over 30 peering and nine Tier‑1 transit partners, would remain unaffected by Middle‑East disruptions.
- AIS also declared readiness to ensure continuous domestic and international connectivity amid regional unrest.
Why it matters: Thai internet users and businesses gain uninterrupted connectivity as the DES ministry’s directive and operators’ redundancy plans mitigate the risk of cable disruptions, while the limited reliance on Middle‑East routes makes a national communications crisis unlikely for Thailand in the near term.
Ask SkimNews