Internet services in India, Pakistan, the Middle East, and the United Arab Emirates are experiencing disruptions and slowdowns due to cuts in undersea cables in the Red Sea. The incident occurred on Saturday, September 6, 2025, and is attributed to failures affecting the South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 4 (SMW4) cable, operated by Tata Communications, and the India-Middle East-Western Europe (IMEWE) cable, managed by a consortium overseen by Alcatel-Lucent. These cables are vital arteries for internet traffic connecting Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
NetBlocks, an internet access monitoring group, reported that a series of subsea cable outages in the Red Sea has degraded internet connectivity in multiple countries, including India and Pakistan. Pakistan Telecommunications Co. Ltd. confirmed the cuts in a public statement. In the United Arab Emirates, users of state-owned Du and Etisalat networks have complained of slower internet speeds.
Microsoft has also confirmed that its Azure cloud service is experiencing increased latency on routes passing through the Middle East due to the cable cuts. The company stated that network traffic not traversing through the Middle East is not impacted and that they will provide daily updates.
The cause of the damage to the subsea cables is not yet officially confirmed. Subsea cables can be damaged accidentally, such as by ship anchors, or deliberately targeted. Concerns have been raised about the cables being targeted amid rising tensions in the Red Sea, where Yemen's Houthi rebels have attacked commercial shipping. The Houthi rebels have denied responsibility for targeting the lines in the past. However, the Houthis' al-Masirah TV acknowledged the cable cuts, citing NetBlocks, but stopped short of claiming involvement.
Repairs to undersea cables typically take weeks and require specialized ships and crews to locate and fix the damage. Internet service providers usually have multiple connections to reroute traffic in case of an outage, but a significant cut can still cause widespread slowdowns.
