In brief
Microsoft's Azure cloud services have faced disruptions caused by undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea, resulting in delays for users. The company has noted that while traffic rerouting is in effect, regions dependent on these cables, particularly in the Middle East, may experience increased latency. The situation underscores the vulnerability of fiber optic cables which are crucial for global internet connectivity.
Microsoft's Azure cloud services have been disrupted by undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea, the US tech giant says.
Users of Azure - one of the world's leading cloud computing platforms - would experience delays because of problems with internet traffic moving through the Middle East, the company said.
Microsoft did not explain what might have caused the damage to the undersea cables, but added that it had been able to reroute traffic through other paths.
Over the weekend, there were reports suggesting that undersea cable cuts had affected the United Arab Emirates and some countries in Asia.
Cables laid on the ocean floor transmit data between continents and are often described as the backbone of the internet.
An update posted on the Microsoft website on Saturday said that Azure traffic going through the Middle East may experience increased latency due to undersea fibre cuts in the Red Sea. It stressed that traffic that does not traverse through the Middle East is not impacted.
On Saturday, NetBlocks, an organization that monitors internet access, said a series of undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea had affected internet services in several countries, including India and Pakistan.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Company said in a post on X that the cuts occurred in waters near the Saudi city of Jeddah and warned that internet services could be affected during peak hours.
Undersea cables can be damaged by anchors dropped by ships, but have also, in the past, been deliberately targeted.
In February 2024, several communications cables in the Red Sea were cut, affecting internet traffic between Asia and Europe. This incident followed a warning from Yemen's internationally recognized government regarding possible sabotage by the Iran-backed Houthi movement, which the Houthis denied.
In the Baltic Sea, a series of undersea cables and gas pipelines have been damaged in suspected attacks since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Earlier this year, Swedish authorities seized a ship suspected of damaging a cable running under the Baltic Sea to Latvia, with prosecutors indicating a possible link to sabotage.
