On Saturday, September 6, 2025, a major undersea cable disruption in the Red Sea sent shockwaves through the digital infrastructure of the Middle East and parts of Asia, leaving millions of users grappling with slower internet speeds and, in some cases, complete outages. The incident, which began at 5:45 UTC (9:45 AM UAE time), has been confirmed by leading telecom providers and global technology firms as one of the most significant connectivity crises to hit the region in recent years.
According to Microsoft, the world’s second-largest cloud provider, the disruption was caused by fiber cuts to key undersea cables traversing the Red Sea. In a statement posted to its network status website, Microsoft explained, “Network traffic is not interrupted as Microsoft has rerouted traffic through alternate network paths. However, we do expect higher latency on some traffic that previously traversed through the Middle East.” The company committed to providing daily updates as the situation evolved, clarifying that traffic not routed through the Middle East remained unaffected.
Telecom operators in the UAE, including du and Etisalat (now rebranded as e&), quickly acknowledged the impact. Etisalat addressed its customers via social media on Sunday: “Dear valued customers, you may experience slowness in data services due to an interruption in the international submarine cables. Our technical teams are currently working to address the issue. We will keep you updated with the latest developments as they occur.” Du echoed this message, assuring customers that their teams were collaborating with international providers to resolve the issue.
The scale of the outage was evident between 6 PM on September 6 and 3 AM on September 7, as users across both networks reported major slowdowns or even total unavailability of internet services, as tracked by Downdetector. While partial restoration efforts were underway by Monday, September 8, providers cautioned that full recovery could take time due to the complexity of undersea cable repairs.
NetBlocks, a global internet observatory, provided further technical context: “A series of subsea cable outages in the Red Sea has degraded internet connectivity in multiple countries… the incident is attributed to failures affecting the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah.” These two systems—the South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 4 (SMW4) and the India-Middle East-Western Europe (IMEWE) cables—are critical arteries for data traffic between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Their disruption forced vast amounts of regional internet traffic to be rerouted, leading to congestion and noticeable slowdowns, particularly for data-intensive applications and cloud-based services.
The impact wasn’t confined to the UAE. NetBlocks reported degraded internet connectivity in India, Pakistan, and across the wider Middle East. In the UAE, users on both du and Etisalat networks complained of sluggish speeds, while in India and Pakistan, similar issues were observed. The disruption was so significant that both Tata Communications, which operates SMW4, and the IMEWE consortium overseen by Alcatel-Lucent, were contacted for comment—though neither responded immediately, according to the Associated Press.
Amid the technical scramble, the incident quickly took on geopolitical overtones. The Red Sea region has become a focal point of international concern, not only because of its critical role in global shipping and data infrastructure, but also due to the ongoing conflict involving Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted more than 100 ships with missiles and drones, sinking four vessels and killing at least eight mariners, as reported by the Associated Press. These attacks, part of a campaign the Houthis describe as pressure on Israel over its war with Hamas in Gaza, have heightened fears about the vulnerability of undersea cables in the area.
In early 2024, Yemen’s internationally recognized government in exile alleged that the Houthis planned to attack undersea cables in the Red Sea. Several cables were cut in the months that followed, but the Houthis have consistently denied responsibility. On Sunday morning, September 7, 2025, the Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel acknowledged that the latest cuts had taken place, but again stopped short of claiming involvement. As NetBlocks and other observers have noted, the region’s cables are especially susceptible to accidental damage—historically, about 70% of such incidents are caused by ship anchors rather than deliberate sabotage.
Still, the timing and location of the latest outage fueled speculation and concern. The Red Sea has become increasingly militarized, with Israeli, American, and Iranian forces all operating in or near its waters. The prospect of further escalation—especially as talks between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program remain in limbo—has left regional telecom operators and global tech firms on high alert.
Subsea cable repairs are notoriously challenging. Fixing a severed cable involves dispatching specialized ships equipped to locate the break, bring the cable to the surface, and conduct intricate repairs, often in deep and turbulent waters. The process can take several weeks, and in politically sensitive or conflict-prone areas, the risks and delays are even greater. As of Sunday morning, some UAE services showed signs of improvement, but user reports on DownDetector.ae indicated continued instability. Neither the UAE government nor Saudi authorities had issued formal statements on the incident as of early Monday, reflecting the region’s cautious approach to public communication during infrastructure crises.
For businesses and individuals alike, the disruption underscored just how dependent modern economies are on the invisible threads of global connectivity. Microsoft Azure, which managed to stave off a total outage by rerouting traffic, still saw users struggle with lag and service degradation—particularly those relying on data-heavy applications or cloud-based platforms. The experience served as a stark reminder that even in an age of advanced technology, a few snipped cables beneath the sea can bring digital life grinding to a halt.
As partial restoration continues and engineers race to mend the broken links, the incident is likely to prompt renewed calls for greater resilience in the world’s internet infrastructure. Whether the latest Red Sea cable cuts were the result of accidental damage or something more sinister, one thing is clear: the stakes for regional stability and global connectivity have never been higher.
