Red Sea cable cuts disrupt internet service in Asia and Middle East

Large parts of Asia and the Middle East experienced slower internet speeds after several undersea cables in the Red Sea were cut, according to telecom providers and monitoring groups. The full cause of the disruption is still not clear, but the impact has been widespread, affecting millions of users in the region.

Submarine cables stretch in the ocean floor and carry the majority of the world’s internet traffic. While satellites and land-based fibre lines also play a role, the bulk of international data flows through these hidden links. They connect continents and make global communication possible, from video calls to cloud services.

When one cable fails, providers usually reroute traffic through other connections, but this can slow down internet service. The problem grows when several cables are damaged at once, leaving fewer routes available and making the internet feel sluggish for ordinary users.

Service problems with Red Sea internet cables

Microsoft said on its status website that internet traffic through the Middle East “may experience increased latency due to undersea fibre cuts in the Red Sea.” The company added that traffic outside the region was not affected, though it did not say what caused the damage.

NetBlocks, a group that monitors internet access worldwide, said the outages disrupted service in multiple countries. India and Pakistan were among those affected, with the group pointing to failures in two systems: the SEA-ME-WE 4 (SMW4) and the India-Middle East-Western Europe (IMEWE) cable – both run close to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan Telecommunication Company confirmed the cable cuts, warning customers that peak hours could bring noticeable slowdowns. In Kuwait, officials said the FALCON GCX cable had also been cut, creating problems for internet service there. In the United Arab Emirates, people using the state-owned Du and Etisalat networks complained about slower internet, though authorities did not publicly comment.

Tata Communications, part of India’s Tata Group, operates the SMW4 cable, while a consortium led by Alcatel Submarine Networks oversees the IMEWE line. Both firms were contacted for comment but did not respond. GCX, which runs the FALCON cable, also stayed silent. Saudi officials likewise did not acknowledge the disruption.

How undersea cables disrupt internet service

There are several ways undersea cables can be cut. Ships dropping anchors in busy waters are one common cause. Natural disasters like earthquakes have also damaged cables in the past. But the possibility of deliberate attacks cannot be ruled out, especially in politically tense regions where internet service is already vulnerable.

Repairing subsea cables is a slow and complex process. Specialised ships need to travel to the site, locate the damaged section, and haul it up from the seabed. Replacement or splicing can then take place before the line is lowered back into position. The process often takes weeks, leaving countries with little choice but to rely on slower backup routes and degraded internet service.

Wider context

The is not the first time the Red Sea has seen such cable incidents. In February 2024, several cables in the area were cut, disrupting internet connections between Asia and Europe. That incident came soon after Yemen’s internationally recognised government warned that the Houthi movement, backed by Iran, might try to sabotage cables or target ships in the Red Sea – the Houthis denied involvement.

Similar cases have also been recorded elsewhere. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, cables and pipelines in the Baltic Sea have been damaged in what many governments suspect were deliberate acts. Earlier this year, Swedish authorities seized a ship thought to have cut a cable to Latvia, with prosecutors saying initial evidence suggested sabotage of communications services.

What it means for users

For people in the affected regions, the impact is mostly felt in slower internet service, longer loading times, and occasional dropouts. Cloud services like Microsoft Azure may run with delays, though companies can usually redirect traffic to minimise the damage.

The outages show how fragile the global internet can be despite its scale. A few cuts in key waters can ripple in countries, reminding governments and businesses how much depends on undersea cables to keep essential services running.

(Image by Lucent_Designs_dinoson20)

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Tags: connectivity, fibre optic, internet, networks