Disruption of Microsoft Azure Services Linked to Undersea Cable Damage in Red Sea

Wed Oct 22 2025 16:56:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Microsoft reports that its Azure cloud services are experiencing considerable delays due to damage to undersea cables in the Red Sea, impacting internet traffic in the Middle East and beyond.

Microsoft has announced disruptions to its Azure cloud services, attributing the delays to undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea. While the company successfully rerouted traffic, many users in the Middle East and as far away as Asia are facing connectivity issues. The damage to these cables, critical to internet infrastructure, underscores vulnerabilities in global communications. Previous incidents have raised concerns regarding deliberate attacks on such infrastructure, but the cause of the current cuts remains unclear.

Microsoft's Azure cloud services have been disrupted by undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea, affecting internet traffic and connectivity for users, as the company acknowledged.

Azure, recognized as one of the world's leading cloud computing platforms, is currently facing delays as a result of this development. Microsoft indicated that while they have routed traffic through alternative paths, users in the Middle East are still encountering issues.

Reports suggest that these disruptions have implications for connectivity in the United Arab Emirates and several Asian countries, demonstrating the significant role that undersea cables play in global communications.

In a recent update issued on Saturday, Microsoft confirmed that latency would likely increase for Azure traffic traversing the Middle East due to the damaged undersea cables.

Notably, undersea cables form the backbone of the internet, transmitting vast amounts of data between continents. An organization that monitors internet access, NetBlocks, indicated that several countries, including India and Pakistan, are experiencing service interruptions linked to these cable cuts.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Company reported that the damage occurred near the coastal vicinity of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, prompting warnings about potential services faltering during peak usage times.

Historically, undersea cables can be affected by numerous factors, including dropped ship anchors or targeted sabotage. In a similar incident in February 2024, a series of undersea cables were severed, leading to noticeable traffic disruptions between Asia and Europe.

Concerns regarding the security of undersea communications infrastructure have been heightened in light of geopolitical tensions. Specific threats attributed to movements in Yemen, for instance, have raised alarms regarding potential sabotage actions against these vital cables.

The recent disruptions reignite discussions on protecting global communication channels and the continued reliance on undersea cables in an increasingly interconnected world.