Dubai, September 7: Microsoft said on Sunday its Azure cloud platform was facing increased delays in parts of the Middle East after undersea fibre cables in the Red Sea were cut, adding to concerns about the security of global internet infrastructure.
The company said network traffic not routed through the region was unaffected, but the disruption has been ongoing since Saturday. It did not provide details on the cause of the damage.
Internet watchdog NetBlocks reported that connectivity had been degraded in several countries, including India and Pakistan, following multiple submarine cable outages in the Red Sea.
The disruptions come amid heightened anxiety over the safety of cables running along shipping routes through the waterway, where Yemen’s Houthi rebels have attacked merchant vessels since late 2023 in what they described as solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.
Global internet traffic relies on around 1.4 million kilometres (900,000 miles) of fibre optic cables laid on the ocean floor. Once managed mainly by telecoms consortia, they are now increasingly dominated by big technology firms to cope with surging data flows.
Damage to submarine cables is not uncommon, with the International Cable Protection Committee recording 150 to 200 outages a year, often caused by fishing or anchoring. Ageing, abrasions and equipment failures are also frequent hazards.
