Microsoft Azure rises to reroute traffic amid disconnection of Red Sea cables, minimizing user service disruptions. Credit: Nikkimeel, Shutterstock
Internet users in Asia and the Middle East are suffering a major slowdown after the Red Sea submarine cables have broken international connections.
The issue, which began earlier this week, has affected several countries, including India, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. At Emirates, customers using Etisalat and Du report significant declines in speed and patchy service.
The problem appears to come from a fault near Jeddah on the west coast of Saudi Arabia. The exact cause has not been determined, but the repair team is currently working to identify and resolve the issue.
Cloud services reroute traffic
Microsoft was one of the first tech giants to confirm the impact. The Azure Cloud platform, widely used by businesses and developers, has typically seen higher latency for users whose data travels through the Middle East.
The company has since reroutes traffic to minimize disruption, and while most users should be little or no impact, users in affected areas may find themselves running slower than usual.
It reminds me of the weaknesses of the Internet
The confusion has once again exposed how vulnerable the global internet system is. Most of the world’s online traffic still relies on thousands of kilometers of fiber optic cables lying on the seabed. Many of them run through politically tense or geologically active areas.
For now, there is no clear timeline as to when the full service will be restored. Until then, millions of users in affected areas may need to slow down. And I hope the damage will be even greater.
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