Microsoft has said that its Azure cloud platform is experiencing delays in parts of the Middle East after undersea fibre optic cables in the Red Sea were cut.
The company did not specify the cause of the damage but noted that the disruption had affected its network since Saturday. Services that do not pass through the Middle East remain unaffected.
The monitoring group NetBlocks reported that the outages have also degraded internet connectivity in several countries including India and Pakistan. The Red Sea is a critical route for global data as submarine cables often follow the same paths as commercial shipping.
Anxiety about the vulnerability of these cables has grown since late 2023 when Yemen’s Huthi rebels began attacking merchant vessels in the area in what they described as solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war.
Control over the laying and operation of submarine cables was once in the hands of large telecoms consortia but technology companies such as Microsoft, Google and Meta have increasingly taken over as they race to meet surging demand for data.
The world’s digital infrastructure depends on about 1.4 million kilometres of fibre optic cables resting on the ocean floor. These carry essential services ranging from trade and finance to health, education and government systems.
Damage to the cables is not rare. The International Cable Protection Committee records between 150 and 200 outages every year, most of them linked to fishing activities or ship anchors. Natural wear and equipment failure also play a part.
Microsoft has not given a timeline for when services through the Red Sea corridor will return to normal.
Source: AFP
