Internet connectivity in parts of Asia and the Middle East was disrupted after undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea, according to experts on Sunday. The cause of the incident remains unclear.
Undersea cables form one of the internet’s core backbones, alongside satellites and land-based infrastructure. While internet service providers can reroute traffic through alternative paths, such disruptions typically cause slower speeds and higher latency for users.
Microsoft confirmed on its status page that the Middle East “may experience increased latency due to undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea,” though it clarified that traffic not routed through the region remains unaffected.
NetBlocks, an internet observatory, reported that multiple subsea cable outages have degraded connectivity across several countries.
The affected infrastructure includes the South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 4 (SEA-ME-WE 4) cable, operated by Tata Communications, and the India-Middle East-Western Europe (IMEWE) cable, managed by a consortium led by Alcatel-Lucent. Both operators have yet to comment on the outages.
