Middle East, South Asia face internet disruptions after Red Sea cable cuts
Global tech giant Microsoft said “network traffic traversing through the Middle East may experience increased latency because of undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea” and that efforts are under way to resolve the issue.
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Undersea cables carry global data traffic. The Middle East serves as a key hub linking Asia and Europe. They are vulnerable to damage by ships’ anchors, but can also be targeted in attacks, which can cause widespread disruption.
The Middle East and South Asia witnessed internet disruptions after several undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea. Microsoft said “network traffic traversing via the Middle East may experience increased latency because of undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea”. The tech giant said general network traffic was not impacted, however its Azure cloud computing services, the world’s second largest after Amazon, were affected by the cuts, reported Al Jazeera.
The global software giant said the disruptions started at 05:45 GMT on September 6. The internet connectivity watchdog NetBlocks reported ‘degraded’ internet connectivity in many nations, including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, the UAE and India, which resulted in slow speeds and intermittent access.
“Network traffic that does not traverse through the Middle East is not impacted. We’ll continue to provide daily updates, or sooner if conditions change,” Microsoft said.
The connectivity issues were due to failures in the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, NetBlocks said. Undersea cables carry global data traffic. The Middle East serves as a key hub linking Asia and Europe. They are vulnerable to damage by ships’ anchors, but can also be targeted in attacks, which can cause widespread disruption.
In 2024, Yemen’s globally recognised government-in-exile alleged that the Houthis planned to attack undersea cables in the Red Sea. Several were cut, but the Houthis denied the claim.
Pakistan Telecommunications warned customers that the country “may experience some degradation during peak hours.”
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