Internet connectivity in parts of the Middle East and Asia has been severely disrupted after undersea fibre optic cables were cut in the Red Sea, technology giant Microsoft confirmed.

The outages, which began around 5:45 GMT on Saturday, have affected several countries, including India, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates, with users of Microsoft’s Azure cloud service reporting increased latency and slower speeds.

“Undersea fibre cuts can take time to repair. We will continuously monitor, rebalance, and optimise routing to reduce customer impact in the meantime,” Microsoft said in a weekend update.

Widespread Impact

Undersea cables handle about 95 per cent of intercontinental internet traffic, powering critical services such as banking transactions, streaming platforms, and even military communications. Despite the growth of satellite technology, fibre cables remain the backbone of global connectivity due to their capacity and speed.

Internet watchdog NetBlocks traced the disruptions to the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

By Sunday, Microsoft reported that the subsea cable outages were still causing “slow speeds and intermittent access” across multiple countries.

In Pakistan, the Telecommunications Authority warned users of degraded service 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,” the agency said.

Possible Security Concerns

Microsoft did not disclose what caused the incident. However, recent speculation has pointed to the potential targeting of undersea cables in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have waged attacks in the region amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

The Houthis, for their part, have repeatedly denied targeting cables.

Repairs to subsea fibre systems are complex and can take weeks, given the need for specialised ships and favourable sea conditions. Until then, rerouting traffic through alternative paths will likely mean slower internet speeds and patchy access across parts of Asia and the Middle East.