Asia May Face Internet Disruption Amid Delayed Cable Repairs
Asian companies may face Internet disruptions in the first trading day of the year as carriers rush to fix submarine cables severed by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks off southern Taiwan.
Trading and online banking services may be slow because of traffic congestion as Asian markets including Hong Kong and South Korea resume operations after the New Year holidays. Cable operators such as Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. and Hong Kong's PCCW Ltd. are using backup fiber-optic links and satellite systems to reroute Internet access.