Microsoft's Azure cloud services have been disrupted by undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea, the US tech giant says.
Users of Azure - one of the world's leading cloud computing platforms - would experience delays because of problems with internet traffic moving through the Middle East, the company stated.
Microsoft did not specify the cause of the damage to the undersea cables but added that it had managed to reroute traffic through alternative paths.
Over the weekend, reports indicated that these cuts impacted internet connectivity in the United Arab Emirates and several Asian countries.
Cables laid on the ocean floor are crucial for transmitting data between continents and are often referred to as the backbone of the internet.
An update posted on the Microsoft website on Saturday noted that Azure traffic going through the Middle East may experience increased latency due to undersea fibre cuts in the Red Sea.
However, it reassured that traffic that does not traverse through the Middle East is not impacted.
On Saturday, NetBlocks, an organization monitoring internet access, reported that a series of undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea had affected internet services in various countries, including India and Pakistan.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Company announced on social media that the cuts occurred near the Saudi city of Jeddah, warning that internet services could be disrupted during peak hours.
Undersea cables can be damaged by dropped anchors from ships or may be targeted deliberately. In February 2024, damages to several communications cables in the Red Sea caused disruptions in internet traffic between Asia and Europe.
This incident followed warnings from Yemen's internationally recognized government about potential sabotage of cables by the Iran-backed Houthi movement. The Houthis, however, denied any wrongdoing.
Similarly, in the Baltic Sea, multiple undersea cables and gas pipelines have been damaged in suspected attacks since the onset of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Earlier this year, Swedish authorities detained a ship suspected of damaging a cable running under the Baltic Sea to Latvia, indicating possible sabotage following an initial investigation.
