Recent incidents have led to widespread internet outages across Asia and the Middle East, with India, Pakistan, and the UAE particularly impacted. This disruption is attributed to damage sustained by crucial subsea communication cables located in the Red Sea. The affected cables, situated near Jeddah, have prompted telecommunications providers like Etisalat and Du in the UAE to experience noticeable service interruptions. The cause of the cable damage remains under investigation, but it has coincided with heightened geopolitical tensions and increased maritime risks in the region.
Major Internet Service Disruptions in Asia and the Middle East
On a recent Sunday, a significant disruption to internet services cascaded across parts of Asia and the Middle East. Reports from NetBlocks, an internet watchdog, confirmed that several subsea communication cables in the Red Sea, specifically in the vicinity of Saudi Arabia, had been compromised. This damage resulted in noticeable connectivity outages, profoundly affecting users in India, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates. In the UAE, major network providers such as Etisalat and Du confirmed that their services were impacted by these events. While the precise cause of the damage to these vital underwater arteries near Jeddah is still being investigated, the incident has highlighted the fragility of global internet infrastructure.
Adding to the concern, Microsoft acknowledged on the preceding Saturday that its Azure cloud service customers might experience increased latency. The tech giant attributed this to internet traffic being rerouted to bypass the affected Middle Eastern routes, underscoring the broad implications of the cable damage. These connectivity issues unfold against a backdrop of escalating maritime risks in the Red Sea, primarily due to continued attacks on shipping by Houthi rebels. Such aggressions have already driven war-risk insurance premiums for vessels to their highest levels since 2024. Furthermore, in September 2024, the U.S. military publicly condemned Houthi strikes on two crude oil tankers in the Red Sea, labeling these acts as “reckless terrorism.” Concurrently, Iran, a known ally of the Houthi movement, has experienced a reduction in its influence within OPEC, a consequence of persistent international sanctions and its ongoing involvement in regional conflicts across the Middle East. This complex interplay of technical failures and geopolitical instability in the Red Sea region continues to pose significant challenges to global communication networks and maritime security.
The current internet outages underscore the critical importance of subsea cable infrastructure to global connectivity and economic stability. It serves as a stark reminder of how vulnerable our interconnected world is to both accidental damage and geopolitical conflicts. Moving forward, investing in resilient and diversified network routes will be crucial, along with diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions in volatile maritime zones. For individual users and businesses, developing contingency plans for potential internet disruptions may become an increasingly necessary measure.