Cables cut in Red Sea, Internet in Asia disrupted

Undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea disrupted Internet access in parts of Asia and the West Asia, experts said on Sunday, though it wasn't immediately clear what caused the incident.

There has been concern about the cables being targeted in a Red Sea campaign by Yemen's Houthi rebels, which the rebels describe as an effort to pressure Israel to end its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But the Houthis have denied attacking the lines in the past.

Connectivity degraded in Pak, India

NetBlocks, which monitors Internet access, said “a series of subsea cable outages in the Red Sea has degraded Internet connectivity in multiple countries,” which it said included India and Pakistan. One of the cables is run by Tata Communications, part of the Indian conglomerate.

Undersea cables are one of the backbones of the Internet, along with satellite connections and land-based cables. Typically, Internet service providers have multiple access points and reroute traffic if one fails, though it can slow down access for users.

Microsoft announced via a status website that the Mideast “may experience increased latency due to undersea fibre cuts in the Red Sea.” The Redmond, Washington-based firm did not immediately elaborate, though it said Internet traffic not moving through the Middle East “is not impacted.”

NetBlocks, which monitors Internet access, said “a series of subsea cable outages in the Red Sea has degraded Internet connectivity in multiple countries,” which it said included India and Pakistan. It blamed “failures affecting the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.” The South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 4 cable is run by Tata Communications, part of the Indian conglomerate. The India-Middle East-Western Europe cable is run by another consortium overseen by Alcatel Submarine Networks. Neither firm responded to requests for comment.

Pakistan Telecommunications Co Ltd, a telecommunication giant in that country, noted, in a statement on Saturday, that the cuts had taken place.

Saudi Arabia did not acknowledge the disruption and authorities there did not respond to a request for comment.

In the United Arab Emirates, home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Internet users on the country's state-owned Du and Etisalat networks complained of slower internet speeds. The government did not acknowledge the disruption.

Subsea cables can be cut by anchors dropped from ships, but can also be targeted in attacks. It can take weeks for repairs to be made as a ship and crew must locate themselves over the damaged cable.

The lines' cut comes as Yemen's Houthi rebels remain locked in a series of attacks targeting Israel over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Israel has responded with airstrikes, including one that killed top leaders within the rebel movement.

In early 2024, Yemen's internationally recognised government in exile alleged that the Houthis planned to attack undersea cables in the Red Sea. Several were cut, but the Houthis denied being responsible.

On Sunday morning, the Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel acknowledged that the cuts had taken place, citing NetBlocks.