Internet slows across Asia, Middle East after cable damage

September 08, 2025 (MLN): Internet connectivity in several parts of Asia and the Middle East has slowed after undersea cables in the Red Sea were severed, the Associated Press reported Sunday.

The cause of the disruption was not immediately clear.

Microsoft said that users in the Middle East “may experience increased latency due to undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea,” while traffic outside the region was unaffected.

NetBlocks, a watchdog monitoring digital infrastructure, confirmed the outages, noting that “a series of subsea cable outages in the Red Sea has degraded internet connectivity in multiple countries including #Pakistan and #India.”

The disruption was attributed to failures affecting the South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 4 (SMW4) and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The SMW4 line is operated by Tata Communications of India, while IMEWE is managed by a consortium led by Alcatel-Lucent.

Pakistan Telecommunications Co. Ltd. acknowledged the cuts in a statement, as Bloomberg reported.

In the United Arab Emirates, customers of state-owned Du and Etisalat also reported slower speeds, though authorities there have not commented.

A social media user pointed out that the India-Europe-Xpress cable, a 10,000-kilometre system built by an Indian company, remained functional and was likely assisting in rerouting traffic.

According to AP, subsea cables are vulnerable to damage from anchors or intentional attacks.

The latest incident comes against the backdrop of Houthi rebel activity in the Red Sea connected to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Israel has responded with airstrikes, including one that killed senior Houthi leaders.

Earlier this year, Yemen’s exiled government accused the Houthis of planning attacks on undersea cables.

The group denied responsibility but acknowledged the latest disruption via its al-Masirah satellite channel, citing NetBlocks.

From late 2023 through 2024, the Houthis launched more than 100 drone and missile strikes on Red Sea shipping, sinking four vessels and killing at least eight crew.

After a brief pause during a ceasefire, the campaign resumed before U.S. President Donald Trump ordered weeks of airstrikes.

In July, the Houthis sank two additional ships, killing four sailors and taking others captive.

Copyright Mettis Link News