UAE Internet Users Face Slow Speeds and Outages Due to Red Sea Cable Damage
Many internet users across the UAE have reported sluggish browsing, frozen video calls, and unstable connections in recent days — and the cause lies deep beneath the Red Sea.
According to telecom operators e& and du, several subsea cables connecting Europe, Asia, and the Middle East were damaged, disrupting global internet traffic. While providers have rerouted much of the traffic, the strain on networks has resulted in slower speeds and reliability issues.
Common Issues Reported by Users
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Slow browsing: Websites taking longer to load.
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Service outages: Some customers experiencing complete connection drops.
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Streaming & gaming disruptions: Buffering videos, lag in online games, and interrupted calls.
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Business challenges: Delays in accessing cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure.
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Everyday inconvenience: Apps such as Google Maps loading slowly or failing to refresh.
Why It Matters
The incident highlights the fragility of global internet infrastructure, where a single point of failure can affect millions of users. For the UAE, a key global digital hub, reliable connectivity is critical for business, entertainment, and daily life.
Repairs to the damaged subsea cables are complex and time-consuming, with operators warning it may take several more weeks before full service is restored. Until then, UAE users should expect intermittent slowdowns and occasional outages, despite efforts to ease the impact through rerouting.
