Microsoft’s Azure Redirected After Submarine Cable Disruption
On Saturday, September 6, Microsoft encountered a significant operational challenge as they had to redirect Azure’s web traffic. This was due to an abrupt severing of two large submarine cable systems situated in the Red Sea. Consequently, customers in South Asia and the Gulf experienced latency spikes as well as decreased performance levels in their cloud services.
Microsoft alerted its customers about this disruption through Azure system status updates shortly before 06:00 UTC. In their message, they cautioned that customers whose data usually course through the Middle East might confront potential service disruptions. These re-routing measures have since been maintained.
While the ripple effect may be felt into September 7, Microsoft projected increased latency with some traffic. This is understandably due to regional carriers’ ongoing efforts to manage their data routes more effectively in light of the ongoing situation.
Interestingly, cloud operations which are not part of the compromised path continue to function as normal. However, the negative ramifications could be felt by workloads that rely on connectivity between Asia and Europe.
Microsoft’s crew of engineers worked tediously to reroute the traffic through alternative, albeit longer paths. Simultaneously, they have been closely keeping tabs on the network telemetry.
One significant challenge in dealing with such issues is the scarcity of repair ships for submarine cables. Moreover, the Red Sea area is geopolitically sensitive, meaning that physical repair operations are bound to be a lengthy process.
The complexity of these repair operations is such that they can extend for weeks. This is mainly due to the need for repair teams to accurately position themselves over the damaged cable to effectively execute the repair.
Unfortunately, this is not a first-time encounter for the Red Sea area. In the second month of 2024, it was noted that various submarine cables got damaged by an unspecified cause. These cables include AE-1, SEACOM, and EIG.
Given the high sensitivity surrounding the region, giving an accurate timeline for the complete resolution is difficult for cable operators. Nonetheless, it was disclosed in the seventh month of 2024 that the AAE-1 cable had been successfully repaired.
Just at the start of 2025, there was a shunt fault reported on the same AAE-1 cable. This happened off the coast of Qatar but was reconciled approximately two weeks later.
Currently, despite all the challenges, Azure remains functional. However, corporations that heavily depend on inter-regional connectivity, specifically between Europe, South Asia, and the Middle East, could experience slower connections.
These corporations are consequently advised to mentally prepare for this slower connectivity. Until the issues are fully resolved, they are expected to bear with the situation. Nonetheless, Microsoft is dedicated to resolving the problem and getting things back on track.