Microsoft Azure Services Hit by Undersea Cable Disruptions in the Red Sea

Tue Sep 23 2025 12:32:31 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Microsoft's Azure cloud services are currently experiencing delays due to undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea, affecting internet traffic across the Middle East and Asia.

Microsoft has reported disruptions to its Azure cloud services caused by cuts to undersea cables in the Red Sea. Users are experiencing delays as internet traffic is rerouted. The exact cause of the cable damage remains unclear, but reports indicate that the cuts have also impacted internet services in countries like India, Pakistan, and the UAE.

Microsoft's Azure cloud services have been disrupted by undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea, the US tech giant reports. Users of Azure—in one of the world's leading cloud computing platforms—are currently facing delays due to issues with internet traffic flowing through the Middle East.

The company disclosed that it rerouted traffic through alternative paths but did not elaborate on the causes behind the cable cuts. Tensions remained as reports surfaced over the weekend suggesting that the cable damage may have also affected connectivity in the United Arab Emirates and several Asian nations.

According to an update on Microsoft’s site, users may see increased latency due to the underwater issues, stressing that traffic that does not pass through the Middle East remains unaffected.

Subsea cables, crucial for transmitting global data, often serve as the backbone of the internet. The recent incidents echo previous disruptions, such as a series of cable cuts in February 2024 that hindered communication between Asia and Europe.

Monitoring organization NetBlocks indicated on Saturday that these subsea disruptions in the Red Sea were impacting internet accessibility in numerous countries, including India and Pakistan. The Pakistan Telecommunication Company warned that internet services could face potential interruptions during peak hours due to cable damage near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The following day, NetBlocks confirmed that connectivity issues were noticeable in the United Arab Emirates as well.

Such damage to undersea cables can arise from various factors, including dropped anchors from ships or, in some cases, targeted attacks. The geopolitical climate in areas like the Baltic Sea has raised concerns about the security of underwater communications, particularly following reports of damages linked to tensions surrounding Russia's actions in Ukraine.

This latest incident involving the Red Sea underlines the fragility of global internet infrastructure and the cascading effects that disruptions can have on cloud services and user experiences across vast geographic areas.

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