Microsoft Cloud Operations Hit by Undersea Cable Disruptions in the Red Sea

Tue Oct 21 2025 03:26:12 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Microsoft confirms disruptions in Azure cloud services due to undersea cables cuts in the Red Sea, impacting internet traffic across the Middle East.

Microsoft's Azure cloud services are experiencing delays due to cuts in undersea cables located in the Red Sea. The company has noted that these disruptions are causing increased latency for users primarily in the Middle East. The exact cause of the cable cuts remains unclear, although past incidents suggest potential external factors like ship anchors or targeted attacks may be involved.

Microsoft's Azure cloud services have been disrupted by undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea, the US tech giant has reported. The company stated that Azure users would experience delays due to issues with internet traffic flowing through the Middle East, a significant region for data transmission. The Azure platform is among the leading cloud computing services worldwide.

Although Microsoft has yet to clarify the reasons behind the cable cuts, it has rerouted traffic through alternative paths. Over the weekend, additional reports indicated that these disturbances have affected internet access in the United Arab Emirates and several Asian countries.

An update on Microsoft's website highlighted that Azure traffic traversing through the Middle East might experience increased latency due to these undersea fibre optic cuts. Notably, traffic that does not pass through that region remains unaffected.

Undersea cables are critical for global internet connectivity, often referred to as the backbone of the internet. On Saturday, NetBlocks, an organization that monitors internet access, reported that a series of cuts in the Red Sea disrupted internet services in various countries, including India and Pakistan. The Pakistan Telecommunication Company confirmed that the cable cuts are in maritime waters near the Saudi city of Jeddah, cautioning users of potential service disruptions during peak hours.

As of Sunday, NetBlocks indicated that there were also service interruptions reported in the United Arab Emirates.

Undersea cables can suffer damage from dropped anchors or possibly even targeted attacks. In February 2024, several communications cables in the same region were cut, impacting data transfer between Europe and Asia. This incident occurred shortly after warnings from Yemen's government regarding possible sabotage of undersea cables by the Iran-backed Houthi movement, a claim that the group has denied. A similar wave of incidents has been observed in the Baltic Sea, where undersea cables and gas pipelines have been compromised amidst geopolitical tensions since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.