Microsoft Reroutes Azure Traffic After Red Sea Cable Cut, Services Restored

Microsoft has successfully addressed the disruptions on its Azure cloud platform caused by the severing of several subsea cables in the Red Sea. Initially, these cable cuts led to increased latency and service interruptions for users in regions such as the Middle East and Asia. The tech company rerouted network traffic through alternative paths to maintain uninterrupted service.

The company's service status page now indicates that all services are functioning normally. Microsoft's engineering teams worked diligently to resolve the issue, ensuring that Azure services in the Middle East are operational once again. The cable cuts had a significant impact on internet connectivity in various countries, including India and Pakistan.

Impact on Internet Connectivity

According to NetBlocks, a network monitoring firm, the outages were linked to failures in the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In a statement shared on Mastodon, NetBlocks highlighted that these subsea cable outages degraded internet connectivity across multiple nations, including Pakistan and India.

Similar disruptions were noted on Etilasat and Du networks within the United Arab Emirates. These issues resulted in slower speeds and intermittent access as engineers worked to rectify the situation affecting numerous countries. The Red Sea is a crucial telecommunications route connecting Europe with Africa and Asia via Egypt.

Challenges of Repairing Subsea Cables

Repairing undersea cables in this region poses significant challenges, particularly due to ongoing threats from Yemen's Houthis targeting vessels. Microsoft acknowledged that fixing fibre cuts underwater can be time-consuming. They committed to continuously monitoring, rebalancing, and optimising routing to minimise customer impact during this period.

In an earlier statement to Reuters, Microsoft mentioned: "We do expect higher latency on some traffic that previously traversed through the Middle East. Network traffic that does not traverse through the Middle East is not impacted. We'll continue to provide daily updates, or sooner if conditions change."

The incident underscores the vulnerability of global internet infrastructure and highlights the importance of having contingency plans for such disruptions. As technology continues to evolve rapidly, ensuring robust connectivity remains a priority for companies like Microsoft.

The TOI Tech Desk is a dedicated team of journalists committed to providing comprehensive coverage of technological developments worldwide.