Extra police are being deployed on Shetland as phone and internet connections are temporarily restored for the island’s 23,000 residents; however, it could take a week to repair the undersea cables that were damaged.
Yesterday, Shetland experienced a total darkness as the south undersea telecommunications cable between the islands and the mainland was severed, prompting police to declare a “major emergency.”
Last week, a second submarine cable between Shetland and the Faroe Islands was destroyed.
BT Group, which supplies communications services via the cables, reported that engineers working “flat out” were able to reconnect all services using a temporary solution, although both cables are still being repaired.
The interim solution was discovered on Thursday afternoon, and broadband and phone signals were restored to the islands by last night.
This weekend, cable operator Faeroese Telecom expects to complete repairs on the first damaged cable.
The second damaged cable will subsequently be evaluated by specialized subsea experts, who anticipate repairing it the following week.
Police Scotland informed Mail Online that they are still conducting patrols today to provide support and will continue to do so until the situation is resolved.
In January, a top military official had warned that Russian sabotage may damage the undersea cables that carry our internet and $10 trillion in daily financial transactions.
Then, just weeks ago, leading politicians, defense officials, and experts warned that Europe’s essential infrastructure is now at risk following the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which is widely believed to have been staged by Russia.
A representative for the BT group stated on Friday, ‘Additional overnight testing and monitoring revealed that broadband services were stable, and we will continue to monitor this.
As a precaution, we have specialist teams in Shetland with satellite backup connectivity in the event that one of the subsea cables fails while being repaired.
Mr. Vesturb told the BBC, “We have reason to think that a fishing trawler broke the wire.”
Last week there was another incident, which we also believe was caused by a fishing vessel.
The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, described the situation in Shetland as “very serious” and confirmed that the Scottish government’s resilience committee met to ensure the provision of necessary support.
The entire Shetland archipelago, which is 130 miles (210 kilometers) from the Scottish mainland, was devastated. Numerous businesses were unable to accept card payments.
Concerned that help alarms may not be functioning, individuals were cautioned not to make non-emergency calls and to check on elderly or vulnerable neighbors.
Alastair Carmichael, the MP for Orkney and Shetland, told Mailonline yesterday, ‘We do not yet know the cause. This has occurred in the past with terrible results.
It is not unheard of, and typically occurs when a trawler picks up the line on the seafloor, drags it up, and snaps it.
It has been known to occur in the past, but at the moment they are mostly focused on determining where the problem lies and implementing the necessary repairs.
He stated that addressing the issue was the top priority, but added that in the future, resilience will also need to be considered.
Mr. Carmichael stated, “That is sort of the way things go.” “Fix it, determine how it broke, and then consider what you must do to prevent it from happening again in the future.”
Mr. Carmichael stated that it had not been ruled out that the damage was perpetrated by the Russians in reprisal for the United Kingdom’s backing for Ukraine during the country’s fight with Putin’s forces, and that the possibility was very much on people’s minds.
Mr. Carmichael noted that it was too soon to determine definitively who was responsible for the damage, and that Russian influence could not be ruled out.
He responded, “You are not the first person to ask me that question. I have no reason to believe such is the case, and as I previously stated, we have seen similar occurrences in the past. But until you know otherwise, I suppose anything is conceivable.
Thursday morning, Northern Police tweeted about the Shetland outage: ‘Engineers are working to rectify a complete outage impacting Shetland’s link to the main line.
“Telephones, the internet, and computers are inoperable.”
Officers will continue to patrol the area, and we will provide an update as soon as we get any information.
Due to a rupture in a third-party undersea cable connecting Shetland to the Scottish mainland, some phone, broadband, and mobile services are impacted.
Engineers are attempting to reroute services via alternate routes as soon as feasible; we’ll offer updates as they become available.
“Our external subsea provider is likewise seeking to reestablish their connection as soon as possible.”
‘Anyone who has to dial 999 should use either their landline or their mobile phone, even if they have no signal from their mobile carrier. We apologize for the inconvenience.
People tweeted about the incident although minimal WiFi connectivity appeared to be available. One said, “I messaged my father, but apparently received no reaction.”
She continued, “Guess I won’t be communicating with my folks then.”
Someone else wrote: “No internet.” No mobiles. Sometimes the landline phone works, sometimes it doesn’t. The store down the street only accepts cash.
One user stated that he had to rearrange meetings and regarded the ramifications of the outage given its scope as “quite frightening.”
The background of the Shetland Islands
The Shetland Islands, often known as Shetland, are located 165 kilometers north of the Scottish mainland.
The overall area is only 550 square miles, and the population in 2019 was 22,920.
Shetland Islands Council is one of Scotland’s 32 council districts, and the administrative center of the islands is Lerwick, which has been the capital of Shetland since 1708.
The islands were initially dominated by Scandinavian influences, particularly from Norway, until the 15th century, when they became a part of Scotland.
In 1707, when Scotland became part of the Kingdom of Great Britain, trade with northern Europe decreased.
Fishing remains an essential element of the economy in the present day.
In the 1970s, the discovery of oil in the North Sea substantially boosted Shetland’s economy, employment, and public sector revenues.
In addition, there are various protected areas for the local flora and fauna, including a number of notable seabird nesting places.
The Shetland pony and Shetland Sheepdog are well-known island-born animal breeds.
Police Scotland was in discussions with partners such as the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and HM Coastguard to provide the island with enhanced emergency support.
Their most recent statement stated, ‘Police Scotland is working with partners to ensure the public can access emergency services during the current disruption affecting some landlines and mobiles. Extra resources are being despatched to Shetland.
Engineers are trying to restore or reroute services, and you should be able to contact 999 from your landline or mobile phone even if you have no signal from your mobile carrier.
Superintendent David Ross stated, “We are collaborating with our partners to guarantee that all Shetland residents have access to emergency services.” Scotland-wide officers and vehicles are being dispatched to help until normal service is reinstated.
They will be ready for deployment on Friday, October 21, and will remain for as long as is required. Local police stations are open, and an emergency Hub has been established in the Tesco parking lot on South Road in Lerwick.
“In the interim, we are advising individuals not to make non-emergency calls so that all available lines can be used for emergencies if necessary.
‘If you are unable to reach 999 by phone, go to the nearest police station, ambulance station, fire station, or hospital to report an emergency, or try to flag down an emergency vehicle whose blue lights are not illuminated.
“Officers are conducting vehicle and foot patrols and will continue to be available.” In addition, I would request that relatives and neighbors of elderly or vulnerable individuals conduct routine checks on them. Assistance alarms could be malfunctioning.’
Alastair Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland, stated yesterday that he has raised the problem with the British government. In the future, he said, resilience will also need to be considered in addition to correcting the issue.
He emphasized that the Scottish and British governments should “put all hands on deck” to fix the line as quickly as feasible.
He stated, “There is an element of it being something that islanders must accept, but you shouldn’t have to.”
‘The system should be more resilient, so that if something similar occurs, there is appropriate fallback. Clearly, we lack that resource at the present.
The impact has been significant. It is a major annoyance because we rely on phone and broadband connections for so much these days, but the idea that you won’t be able to easily call emergency services must be concerning.
“Fixing this must be the top priority, and all hands must be on deck, because modern living requires this service. It is as if you were without water or electricity.
“I was in the chamber today, so I inquired about it with the Secretary of State.
She was somewhat helpful, but it’s still early days. I want everyone to work collaboratively on this.
I do not want ministers in Edinburgh to assert that this has nothing to do with them. It is all the fault of London, or vice versa. If there is something that can be done to correct this, everyone should do it.
A global network of internet cables lies thousands of feet beneath the water and is responsible for transmitting 97% of international communications.
These physical wires, encased in steel and plastic, are essential to our functioning in the digital age.
If they were deactivated, it would not only prohibit us from accessing the internet on our mobile devices and laptops, but it would also disrupt everything from agriculture and healthcare to military logistics and financial transactions, precipitating an immediate global depression.
According to experts, this end-of-the-world scenario is on par with nuclear war as a threat to our way of life.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, chief of the defense staff, opined in January that Russia posed the greatest threat to these crucial arteries.
In an interview, he stated that there has been a “phenomenal growth” in Russian submarine operations over the past two decades, adding, “Russia has grown the capacity to threaten and potentially exploit those underwater cables.”
Any meddling of this nature would be taken quite seriously.
When asked if the destruction of cables could be deemed an act of war, the most senior military officer in the United Kingdom replied, “Potentially, yes.”
In shallower waters, a vessel may drag an anchor along the seafloor on purpose to sever the cables.
Such an attack might be concealed by passing it off as an accident involving a fishing boat.
Last month, defence experts warned that Europe’s crucial infrastructure could be at risk following the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which is widely believed to have been staged by Russia.
German interior minister Nancy Faeser warned leaders to prepare for ‘previously unimaginable’ threats to their nations, as fears grew that pipelines, rigs, and undersea cables that countries, including Britain, rely on for energy, banking, stock trading, and business could now be targeted.
Some have already begun to frantically strengthen their defenses. The Norwegian prime minister, Jonas Gahr Stoere, stated that the military would be visibly deployed around oil and gas rigs to protect them.
This means that the United Kingdom, which is linked to Norway by two large pipelines carrying one-third of the country’s gas, could also be at risk. In close proximity to Norwegian waters are Britain’s major oil and gas fields, which are littered with dozens of rigs and crisscrossed with pipes.
Earlier, a Ministry of Defense spokeswoman stated, “We continuously monitor our areas of responsibility and interest, which includes the protection of vital infrastructure like as underwater cables and offshore structures.”
‘They blew up their own pipeline to remind the West that infrastructure assaults are among Putin’s alternatives if he is truly backed into a corner,’ he said.
‘After all, a pipeline from Norway to Poland has just been inaugurated. Equally gravely, he might target undersea internet cables, which would not “break” the internet but would undoubtedly reduce its performance.
The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the explosions, calling the claim “stupid.” However, Russia is capable of launching such an attack.
Britain dispatched warships to the North Sea to defend underwater gas and oil pipelines and internet cables from Russian sabotage following the explosion of the Nordstream.
The Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset and the survey ship HMS Enterprise were dispatched earlier this month out of concern that pipelines, rigs, and underwater cables that energy-dependent nations such as Britain rely on were at risk of additional attack.
After Western intelligence agencies were blindsided by the pipeline explosions, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace acted to’reassure’ those working in the area.
The damaged cable between Faroe and Shetland will be fixed on Saturday, according to Páll Vesturb, head of infrastructure for Faroese Telecom.
He stated, “The damage is affecting the majority of Shetland’s telecom services.” Some services are still operational, but we will attempt to establish additional services during the day if possible.
We anticipate that fishing vessels caused the cable damage, but it is quite rare for us to experience two incidents at once.