Red Sea Cable Cuts Disrupt Internet Service Across Multiple Countries
Multiple undersea internet cables in the Red Sea have been cut, causing degraded internet connectivity in several countries including India and Pakistan. The outages, impacting the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where first reported by NetBlocks, an internet monitoring organization.
Lumen Technologies, a Redmond, Washington-based firm, confirmed the disruptions, stating that internet traffic not routed through the Middle east remains unaffected. The South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 4 (SMW4) cable is operated by Tata Communications, an Indian conglomerate, while the India-Middle East-Western Europe (IMEWE) cable is overseen by a consortium managed by Alcatel Submarine Networks. Neither company has publicly commented on the incident.
Pakistan Telecommunications Co Ltd acknowledged the cuts in a statement on Saturday. In the United Arab Emirates, users of the state-owned du and Etisalat networks reported slower internet speeds, though the government has not issued a statement. Saudi Arabia has also not acknowledged the disruption.
Subsea cables are vulnerable to damage from ship anchors, and potentially deliberate attacks. Repairs can be lengthy, requiring specialized ships and crews to locate and fix the breaks – a process that can take weeks.
The cuts occur amidst ongoing tensions in the region. Yemen’s Houthi rebels, engaged in attacks targeting Israel in relation to the Israel-Hamas war in gaza, have been implicated. In early 2024, the Yemeni government in exile alleged Houthi plans to target undersea cables, and several cuts were reported, though the Houthis denied responsibility. On Sunday, the Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel acknowledged the recent outages, citing NetBlocks’ reporting.
From November 2023 to December 2024, the Houthis have targeted over 100 ships with missiles and drones, sinking four vessels and causing the deaths of at least eight mariners. While attacks paused during a brief ceasefire, they resumed afterward, leading to airstrikes ordered by the US. The Houthis sank two vessels in July, resulting in at least four fatalities, with other crew members believed to be held captive.
These new disruptions coincide with uncertain prospects for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and stalled negotiations between the US and Iran regarding Tehran’s nuclear program, further complicated by a recent 12-day conflict involving israel and Iran, including reported US bombing of Iranian atomic sites.