Microsoft has confirmed that its Azure cloud platform is experiencing network slowdowns following damage to multiple undersea fiber optic cables in the Red Sea—a critical hub for global internet connectivity.

According to the company, the disruption began around 05:45 UTC on Saturday, September 6. While a full outage was avoided by rerouting traffic through alternative network paths, users relying on routes through the Middle East are facing delays and higher latency.

In a status update, Microsoft noted: “Network traffic traversing through the Middle East may experience increased latency due to undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea.” The company assured customers that service continuity was preserved, but warned of slower performance for certain regions.

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Business Impact of Increased Latency

For organizations dependent on Azure, the rise in latency means slower application response times, delayed data transfers, and degraded performance in latency-sensitive workloads such as financial trading, real-time analytics, and other mission-critical cloud services.

Although rerouting has stabilized operations, the alternative paths are longer and less direct, which has introduced noticeable lag for end users.

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Why the Red Sea Matters

The Red Sea is one of the world’s most important subsea cable corridors, linking Europe, Asia, and Africa. A significant share of global internet traffic flows through this route, meaning cable damage in the region can have outsized effects on international connectivity.

Reports over the weekend suggested that disruptions had already affected internet services in the United Arab Emirates and parts of Asia, highlighting the widespread impact beyond Microsoft’s cloud customers.

Ongoing Monitoring and Next Steps

Microsoft emphasized that network traffic outside the Middle East remains unaffected. The company continues to monitor the situation and is issuing daily updates, with the latest communication logged at 19:52 UTC on September 7.

Repairing deep-sea cables is a technically complex and costly process, often taking weeks. While the root cause of the Red Sea cable cuts has not yet been disclosed, Microsoft is prioritizing traffic management through alternate routes to minimize the impact until repairs are completed.

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