UAE internet outage: What's the real story behind the Red Sea cable cuts?

Dubai: Internet users across the UAE are still reporting slower speeds and patchy connections after several subsea cables in the Red Sea were cut over the weekend, disrupting connectivity from South Asia to the Gulf.

“The recent subsea cable cuts across the region serve as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of our global digital arteries,” said David Abt, Associate Partner, Strategy & Transformation, TMT at FTI Consulting.

“In today’s world, more than 95% of international data traffic flows through subsea cables, making them as critical to modern economies as air routes, ports, and energy pipelines.”

The outages were linked to the SEA-ME-WE-4 and IMEWE cables near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and the FALCON GCX cable running through Kuwait. Together, these lines form a critical corridor linking Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

Microsoft Azure confirmed that regional traffic is being rerouted via alternative pathways but warned of “increased latency.” Cloudflare reported delays of up to 30% on connections between India and Europe, with performance still below normal levels as of Monday.

du and Etisalat (e&) subscribers reported disruptions ranging from slow browsing to difficulty accessing international cloud platforms.

“When these cables are disrupted, the ripple effects are immediate: financial transactions stall, businesses struggle to operate, and citizens experience outages in essential digital services,” Abt said.

Specialized cable ships are needed to locate and mend the damage, a process analysts say could take days or even weeks. Multiple failures in the same corridor make rerouting more complex, leaving users with elevated latency until full restoration.

“For the UAE and the wider Middle East, the stakes are particularly high,” Abt said. “The region has committed to becoming a global hub for artificial intelligence, cloud, and digital services. These ambitions require unprecedented international bandwidth and ultra low latency, placing growing strain on the existing network.”

Analysts stress that the Red Sea corridor remains one of the world’s most fragile internet bottlenecks. Cables here are vulnerable to both accidental damage from shipping activity and geopolitical risks.

“While much attention is placed on subsea chokepoints such as the Bab al-Mandab or the Strait of Hormuz where regional cables are concentrated and exposed to both accidents and geopolitical risk, the broader picture is clear: a diversified and redundant digital infrastructure is essential,” Abt noted.

Telecom providers are increasingly investing in terrestrial corridors through Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, and most recently Syria, to complement subsea systems.

“These routes aim to bypass chokepoints and provide critical redundancy to complement subsea systems,” Abt said.

Experts argue that the UAE’s position at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe makes it uniquely placed to lead this diversification.

“The UAE’s geographic position at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe uniquely positions it to lead this transformation,” Abt said. “By driving investment in both subsea capacity and terrestrial alternatives, the country can anchor its role as a trusted, resilient digital gateway.”

He added: “Subsea cables are no longer just telecom assets – they are strategic infrastructure, indispensable to economic growth, national security, and making the UAE’s AI ambitions a reality.”

For now, UAE residents should expect intermittent slowdowns until repairs are complete. But the weekend outage has made one fact clear: the cables beneath the Red Sea are as critical as the oil tankers and shipping lanes that pass above them.