Damage to optical fiber
17% of the world’s internet traffic has been impacted by the Red Sea’s optical fiber cable cutting. These optical fiber connections belonged to Azure, a cloud platform owned by Microsoft that offers internet access to Asia and Europe.
A number of important cables, including SEACOM/TGN-EA, AAE-1, and EIG, were severed on September 6. Cable repair will take awhile, according to the business. Users are currently dealing with sluggish internet.
Effects on Online Courses, Business, and Other Services
According to Microsoft’s Azure service upgrade, users may encounter latency (delays) as a result of traffic, particularly across the Middle East.
According to the corporation, routing is being optimized. Through the Red Sea, which connects Europe and Asia, 17% of all internet traffic worldwide travels.
Microsoft claims that consumers are having issues.
According to Microsoft, despite constant traffic monitoring and rerouting, consumers continue to see delays and sluggish speeds.
While some routes are unaffected, traffic between Asia and Europe has been especially impacted. Although repairs can take weeks, the company will send updates every day. Online services and business users are being affected, which might result in losses for numerous businesses.
The method by which the cables were severed is yet unknown.
It is still unknown what caused the cable cutting incident. Deliberate sabotage or ship anchors have been implicated in similar occurrences in the past.
Although the Houthi group has denied involvement, the ongoing battle in the Red Sea and the actions of Houthi rebels in Yemen have sparked concerns.
Targeting digital infrastructure could pose a serious threat in the future, according to experts, if this were a conspiracy. Despite investigations by governments and communication firms, no hard proof has been discovered as of yet.
