Microsoft has warned of increased network latency on Azure traffic routed through the Middle East, after undersea cables were cut in the Red Sea.
The company has been forced to reroute traffic, slowing speeds, and said it is discussing alternative capacity options and providers.
"Network traffic is not interrupted as Microsoft has rerouted traffic through alternate network paths," said the firm in an alert.
"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."
The problem is affecting a number of countries in Asia and the Middle East, including India and Pakistan in particular.
"Internet users in Pakistan may experience some service degradation during peak hours," warned the Pakistan Telecommunication Company in a message to customers. "Our international partners are working on priority to resolve the issue while our local teams are actively arranging alternative bandwidth to minimize the impact."
According to monitoring firm NetBlocks, similar internet disruptions have been spotted on the Etilasat and Du networks in the United Arab Emirates, resulting in slow speeds and intermittent access.
The affected cables are the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems – two of the main long-distance cables connecting Asia and Europe – which were cut near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia early on Saturday morning.
Last year, a report from telecom research company TeleGeography found that more than 90% of all Europe-Asia capacity is carried by cables in the Red Sea, making it a prime target for sabotage.
Yemeni Houthi rebels
The incident is being attributed to Yemeni Houthi rebels, who have been targeting Israel over its actions in Palestine. The rebels have previously denied similar attacks.
"The Red Sea is a global hot spot at the moment due to repeated attacks by Yemeni Houthi rebels against commercial shipping vessels," said TeleGeography research director Alan Maudin.
"While this inlet is a strategic location for global shipping, it also plays a vital role in global communications networks."
Repairing the damage won't be easy, requiring specialist repair ships and crews, of which there is only a limited number. According to the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC), the cost of telecommunication repairs averages between £500,000 and £1 million per incident.
It's not known how long repairs are likely to take in this case, but redundancy means that services should at least be able to limp along in the meantime.
"What happens if damage occurs to Red Sea cables that cannot be immediately repaired? In most cases, data can continue to flow using alternative systems and routes," said Mauldin.
"Gulf countries could access Europe via terrestrial network links to Saudi Arabia. India has links eastward to Singapore. East African countries could divert traffic up the West Coast of the continent. But you cannot quickly and completely reroute all existing traffic along other paths."
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