Internet services across Asia and the Middle East were disrupted over the weekend after multiple undersea cables in the Red Sea were damaged, causing widespread latency and connectivity issues.

Microsoft confirmed that its Azure cloud services experienced delays, with users in India, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates among those impacted. The company said traffic had been rerouted through alternative network paths, leading to higher latency for applications.

Undersea fibre optic cables carry about 95 percent of the world’s internet traffic — from streaming and banking to critical military communications. The Red Sea is considered one of the most important chokepoints, handling an estimated 17 percent of global internet flows.

Disruptions were linked to the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, according to internet monitoring group NetBlocks. Pakistan Telecommunications warned users to expect degraded service during peak hours, saying local teams were arranging alternative bandwidth to minimise disruption.

Business and cloud impact

The incident triggered latency spikes for cloud-based applications, video conferencing, e-commerce platforms and financial services. Experts noted that rerouting not only slowed services but also raised operational costs for both providers and enterprises.

“Latency and rerouting raise costs on both sides,” said Pareekh Jain, CEO of EIIRTrend. “Providers face higher OPEX from alternate transit, while enterprises risk productivity losses and reputational damage.”

Concerns and speculation

While the cause of the latest damage remains unverified, speculation has surfaced about potential attacks. Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have previously been accused of targeting cables, denied involvement. Repairing such subsea infrastructure typically costs millions of dollars and can take weeks.

Lessons for resilience

This is not the first disruption in the region. In February 2024, three cables were damaged in the Red Sea, disrupting traffic between Asia, Africa and Europe. Analysts say the recurring outages highlight the need for stronger resilience strategies, including diversifying routes, adding satellite backups and revisiting service-level agreements.

As of Sunday evening, Microsoft said it was continuing to monitor the situation and would provide updates. For now, internet users in Pakistan and neighbouring countries should brace for slower speeds during peak hours.