The effects were felt in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore as well. Web publishers, including Asiaweek and its sister outfits Time Asia and CNN , waited hours to post time-sensitive information on their websites. This is the second such cable cut Asia has suffered in the past four months. Last November, a break in a line between Jakarta and Singapore took about two weeks to repair. The incidents highlight just how vulnerable the cables are.
Shanghai has a heavy fishing industry and is the most traveled port in China.
A second leg of the broken cable, meant to be insurance against service interruptions, is unfortunately still under construction. The break is expected to be repaired by Feb. 23. In the meantime, breathe deeply and visualize the days before you ever heard of the Internet. That's the thinking behind the world's first disposable phone. U.S. toy-maker Randi Altschul came up with the idea after almost flinging her handset from a speeding car when it dropped a call.