In Egypt, operators often depend on Telecom Egypt's fixed-line infrastructure to carry their mobile services.

WSJ: Egypt Intrudes on Mobile Operators

In the statement on his official Facebook page, Col Ali said the divers were arrested while "cutting the undersea cable" of the main telecommunications company, Telecom Egypt.

BBC: Picture of arrested divers

The Koryolink network, which was built in cooperation with Egypt's Orascom Telecom, marks a radical shift in policy for North Korea, which also recently began to allow tourists to enter the country with their own cellphones -- previously, visitors were required to hand over the devices upon landing in Pyongyang.

ENGADGET

"What is happening in Egypt just goes to show the leverage that governments have over telecom providers, " said Cynthia Wong, the director of the Global Internet Freedom project at the Center of Democracy and Technology in Washington.

WSJ: Egypt Intrudes on Mobile Operators