Internet Cables Cut in Red Sea, Disrupting Data Traffic
International data traffic is experiencing disruptions due to damage to undersea cables in the Red Sea, beginning Saturday morning. Microsoft Azure reported noticeable delays, particularly affecting data traffic between Asia and Europe routed through the Middle East.
According to Microsoft,”Several international submarine cables in the Red Sea were cut.” NetBlocks confirmed the interruptions in global data traffic, pinpointing severed cables near Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Pakistan’s PTCL also alerted customers to potential internet connection issues.
Microsoft Azure is working to reroute data traffic via choice paths. The cause of the cable cuts remains unclear, with potential causes ranging from sabotage by Houthi terrorists active in the region to accidental damage, such as from a ship’s anchor.
Repairing these cables is a complex process expected to take a significant amount of time. Microsoft intends to minimize the impact through monitoring, redistribution, and optimization of routing, and will provide updates as the situation evolves.
The affected cable systems are SMW4 (Sea-Me-We 4), a 18,800-kilometer fiber optic cable connecting South East Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe – operational as 2005 and built by a consortium of 16 telecommunications companies – and IMEWE (India-Middle East-Western Europe), a 12,091-kilometer system consisting of three fiber optic cables connecting Europe to the Middle East and India.