Microsoft Azure steps up to reroute traffic amidst Red Sea cable cuts, ensuring minimal service interruptions for users.
Credit : nikkimeel, Shutterstock
Internet users across parts of Asia and the Middle East have been hit by major slowdowns after damage to undersea cables in the Red Sea disrupted international connections.
The issue, which began earlier this week, has affected several countries including India, Pakistan and the UAE. In the Emirates, customers using Etisalat and Du have reported noticeable drops in speed and patchy service.
The trouble appears to stem from faults near Jeddah, on Saudi Arabia’s western coast – an area where several of the world’s main internet cables converge. While the exact cause hasn’t been confirmed, repair teams are now working to pinpoint and resolve the problem.
Cloud services reroute traffic
Microsoft was among the first tech giants to confirm the impact. Its Azure cloud platform, widely used by businesses and developers, has seen higher latency for users whose data usually travels through the Middle East.
The company has since rerouted traffic to minimise the disruption and says most users should see little to no impact – though those in affected regions might still notice things running more slowly than usual.
A reminder of the internet’s weak spots
The disruption has once again exposed just how vulnerable the global internet system is. Most of the world’s online traffic still depends on thousands of kilometres of fibre-optic cables lying on the seabed – many of them running through politically tense or geologically active regions.
For now, there’s no clear timeline for when full service will be restored. Until then, millions of users across the affected areas may have to put up with slower speeds – and hope the damage doesn’t spread further.
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