Microsoft’s Azure cloud service has been hit by disruptions after undersea fiber cables were cut in the Red Sea. The tech giant stated on Saturday that the incident has forced the company to reroute internet traffic, causing users to experience slower speeds and delays.
In a service health status update for its Azure platform, the company said that users may face increased delays and that traffic passing through the Middle East, whether originating in or destined for Asia or Europe, might see further disruptions. Microsoft explained, “Undersea fiber cuts can take time to repair, so we will continue to monitor, rebalance, and optimize routing to reduce the impact on customers in the meantime. We will provide daily updates, or sooner if conditions change.”
Internet Delays and Possible Causes
As a result of the disruption, Azure—the world’s second-largest cloud provider after Amazon’s AWS—has been forced to reroute traffic through alternative paths, leading to higher-than-normal delays. Internet and cloud services were also disrupted in the UAE and other Gulf countries due to an undersea cable cut in the Red Sea. Users reported slow connections on Saturday night, though partial improvement was noted by Sunday morning.
Experts suggest that in the past, nearly 70% of such incidents have been caused by ship anchors. The Red Sea is considered a crucial global telecommunications route, where repairs are often complex and time-consuming. In March 2024, three cables were also damaged in the same region, which caused widespread internet disruption.
