Timeline

September 6, 2025 (Saturday): Multiple undersea cable systems in the Red Sea are severed, leading to initial reports of internet disruptions.
Ongoing: Internet monitoring groups like Netblocks confirm widespread outages and increased latency across India, Pakistan, UAE, and Kuwait. Microsoft Azure reports service degradation for Middle East traffic and initiates rerouting.
What's next: Repair operations are expected to take several weeks, during which intermittent disruptions and higher latency are likely to persist. International efforts to investigate the cause and enhance subsea cable security are anticipated.

Different Perspectives

Telecom Operators: Companies like Pakistan Telecommunications Co. Ltd., Etisalat, and Du are focused on managing service degradation and communicating with customers, while also assessing the damage and repair logistics.
Cloud Providers: Microsoft emphasizes its successful traffic rerouting but acknowledges the increased latency, highlighting the critical need for diversified network paths.
Governments: Regional governments, including Kuwait, are confirming disruptions and likely initiating internal assessments of national digital resilience. The IT Minister of Pakistan has noted the business impact of slow internet.
Geopolitical Analysts: Many are pointing to the Red Sea's volatile security environment and the potential for deliberate sabotage, particularly given ongoing conflicts, as a significant concern for critical infrastructure.

What You Need to Know

Multiple subsea internet cables (SMW4, IMEWE, FALCON GCX) in the Red Sea have been severed.
The incident, occurring on September 6, 2025, has caused widespread internet disruptions in India, Pakistan, UAE, and Kuwait.
Microsoft Azure reported increased latency but rerouted traffic successfully to avoid outages.
Responsibility for the damage is unconfirmed, but the Red Sea's geopolitical volatility is a key factor.
Repairs are expected to be lengthy, potentially weeks, impacting connectivity during this period.

Regional Perspective

For Pakistan, the cable cuts have a direct and tangible impact, with Pakistan Telecommunications Co. Ltd. confirming degradations during peak hours and the IT Minister acknowledging the adverse effects on businesses. Similarly, users of Etisalat and Du networks in the UAE have experienced slower speeds and intermittent access, while Kuwait's government also reported disruptions. This highlights the region's heavy reliance on these specific Red Sea pathways for international connectivity, making them particularly vulnerable. The incident reinforces the urgent need for these nations to accelerate investments in diversified domestic and international network infrastructure to build greater resilience against such external shocks.