On Sunday (September 7), Microsoft and several telecommunications companies revealed that multiple undersea cables in the Red Sea have been inexplicably cut, causing network disruptions in several countries in Asia and the Middle East. Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the incident.
Monitoring network connectivity organization NetBlocks stated that the undersea cable break in the Red Sea has affected various Asian countries, including India and Pakistan. Preliminary investigations by the organization indicated that the incident may have been caused by failures in the “SEA-ME-WE 4” and “India-Middle East-Western Europe” cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The “SEA-ME-WE 4” cable is maintained and operated by Tata Communications, a subsidiary of the Indian Tata Group, while the “India-Middle East-Western Europe” cable is supervised by the Alcatel Submarine Networks, a French company.
Both companies have not yet commented on the event.
Pakistan’s telecommunications giant Pakistan Telecommunications Co. Ltd. confirmed over the weekend that the undersea cable break had occurred.
Undersea cables are a primary channel for global internet transmission, as crucial as satellite links and land cables. Typically, network service providers have multiple access points, so if one cable fails, traffic can be rerouted to bypass the broken cable or point of failure. It usually takes several weeks to repair a broken undersea cable.
Microsoft stated on its website that due to multiple undersea fiber cables being cut in the Red Sea, some network traffic needs to be rerouted through alternative paths, increasing transmission distances. As a result, there may be significant slowing of internet speeds or service interruptions in the Middle East, but networks not passing through the Middle East are unaffected.
Moreover, users of the Microsoft Azure cloud computing service platform may be affected, but Microsoft has implemented measures such as rerouting to minimize service interruptions.
Saudi officials have not acknowledged any network disruptions caused by the undersea cable break and have not responded to media inquiries.
Users in the UAE reported that the internet speeds of state-owned telecommunications networks Du and Etisalat have slowed down, although the government has not acknowledged any network disruptions.
Authorities in Kuwait stated that the FALCON GCX cable crossing the Red Sea had been cut, resulting in a network outage in the country.
The Associated Press indicated that the undersea cables in the Red Sea may have been accidentally cut by anchors of ships, but it could also be attributed to attacks by the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
This cable break incident occurred during a period of heightened tensions in the Middle East. The Houthi rebels recently launched attacks on Israel in response to the conflict in Gaza, which prompted Israeli retaliatory airstrikes, including one that killed a senior leader of the organization.
In early 2024, the internationally recognized Yemeni exiled government accused the Houthi rebels of planning to attack the Red Sea undersea cables. At that time, several cables were cut, but the Houthis denied responsibility. The Houthi’s al-Masirah news channel has reported on this cable break incident but did not admit to any involvement.
(This article references reports from the Associated Press and Reuters)