Internet Outage: Optic cable cut in Red Sea, internet speed slows down in many Asian countries..

Internet connectivity problems have arisen in many Asian countries due to the cutting of optical cables passing under the Red Sea. Due to this outage, internet speed has slowed down in many countries in the Middle East and South Asia. Monitoring organization NetBlocks has also included India in the list of affected countries. However, Indian telecom operators say that they have adequate backup and alternative routes, due to which internet and data services have not been disrupted.

Internet services are normal in India.

According to the information, the South-East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 4 (SMW4) cable has been affected. This cable system is operated by a consortium of several telecom companies, including Tata Communications. At present, no official statement has been issued by Tata Communications on this matter.

NetBlocks wrote in a post on X, "It is confirmed that there have been several subsea cable outages in the Red Sea, affecting internet connectivity in several countries, including Pakistan and India. This incident is related to the failure of the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)."

Microsoft's cloud service was affected

Meanwhile, Microsoft has also issued a warning to users of its Azure platform. According to the company, high latency may be seen in network traffic passing through the Middle East routes from 05:45 UTC on September 6, 2025. However, services are being continued by rerouting traffic through alternative routes.

Microsoft clarified that "traffic passing through the Middle East will be affected, but there will be no impact on services going through other routes. Users will be updated from time to time."

Houthi rebels suspected
Although the real cause of this outage is not clear, some reports have cited the activities of Yemen's Houthi rebels as a possible reason. Usually, ships' anchors, natural disasters, sabotage or conflict are responsible for undersea cable cuts. According to experts, the solution to such faults is complex, and repairs can take a long time. This challenge becomes even more difficult in sensitive areas like the Red Sea.

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