Internet services across parts of Asia and the Middle East were disrupted over the weekend after two major undersea cables in the Red Sea were damaged, according to a statement from Microsoft.
Countries including India, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates experienced connectivity issues, with users of Microsoft’s Azure cloud service reporting slower speeds and higher latency.
“Undersea fibre cuts can take time to repair,” Microsoft noted in its update. “We will continuously monitor, rebalance, and optimise routing to reduce customer impact in the meantime.”
Vital Role of Subsea Cables
Undersea fibre optic cables carry around 95% of the world’s intercontinental internet traffic, supporting everything from online banking and business transactions to streaming and even military communications. Despite the rise of satellite internet, these high-capacity fibre cables remain the backbone of global connectivity.
The disruptions, which began at 5:45 GMT on Saturday, forced internet providers to reroute traffic through alternative network paths, resulting in slower speeds and intermittent access.
What We Know So Far
Internet watchdog NetBlocks attributed the outages to damage involving the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. On Sunday, the group confirmed that the situation continued to cause “slow speeds and intermittent access” across several countries.
In Pakistan, telecom operators issued warnings to customers, particularly about service quality during peak hours. Pakistan Telecommunications said in a statement:
“Internet users in Pakistan may experience some service degradation during peak hours. Our international partners are working on priority to resolve the issue, while our local teams are actively arranging alternative bandwidth to minimise the impact.”
Security Concerns in the Region
The cause of the cable cuts has not been confirmed. However, concerns have been raised in recent months about the risk of Houthi rebels in Yemen targeting undersea infrastructure in the Red Sea. The group has previously denied involvement in cable attacks, though Western security analysts continue to monitor the situation closely.
Looking Ahead
Given the complexity of subsea repairs, disruptions could last for days or even weeks. Repair crews typically require specialized ships to locate and fix damaged fibre lines, a process complicated by maritime conditions and security risks in the region.
For now, internet users across Asia and the Middle East are being warned to expect slower speeds, higher latency, and service instability, particularly during peak demand periods.
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