Which cables were hit
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.
Current status in the UAE
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.
Repair timeline, challenges
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.”
Hit for UAE residents, firms
International websites, apps, and cloud services may be intermittently inaccessible.
VPNs, video conferencing, and gaming platforms face higher lag times.
Businesses depending on global data flows are advised to explore satellite or regional routing until normal service resumes.
Beyond Red Sea chokepoint
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.
Strategically imperative for UAE
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.
Justin is a personal finance author and seasoned business journalist with over a decade of experience. He makes it his mission to break down complex financial topics and make them clear, relatable, and relevant—helping everyday readers navigate today’s economy with confidence.
Before returning to his Middle Eastern roots, where he was born and raised, Justin worked as a Business Correspondent at Reuters, reporting on equities and economic trends across both the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions.