Internet users in India and Pakistan face mounting connectivity woes as undersea cable damages ripple through vital digital lifelines.
Internet disruptions India Pakistan 2025 began on Saturday, September 6, when cuts to key undersea cables in the Red Sea caused widespread slowdowns and latency spikes in South Asia, affecting millions reliant on global networks for work, banking, and communication, with telecom firms scrambling to reroute traffic.
These internet disruptions India Pakistan 2025 underscore South Asia’s vulnerability to global infrastructure failures, potentially hampering economic activities, remote services, and cross-border digital ties in a region where internet penetration exceeds 800 million users.
Internet Disruptions India Pakistan 2025 Stem from Red Sea Cable Failures
The incidents involved damages to the SEA-ME-WE 4 (SMW4) and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which form critical pathways for international data traffic between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. These cables, operational since the early 2000s, handle a significant portion of regional bandwidth, making their disruption a major blow to connectivity.
Microsoft, a key stakeholder in global cloud services, reported the onset of issues at 05:45 GMT on Saturday, September 6, 2025, noting increased latency for network traffic passing through the Middle East. The company confirmed that while general internet access remained operational via alternative routes, services like Azure cloud computing experienced delays, particularly for users in affected zones.
In Pakistan, the national telecom provider issued a public advisory warning of potential degradation during peak hours, attributing the india pakistan internet slowdown to the cable outages. International partners were said to be collaborating on repairs, though no specific timeline was provided. Similar reports emerged from India, where users noted intermittent access and slower loading times for websites and applications.
The causes of the cable cuts remain unclear, with experts pointing to possible accidental damage from ships’ anchors or deliberate sabotage. Historical context includes unverified allegations of threats to undersea infrastructure in the region, but no group has claimed responsibility for the September 2025 events.
Extent of India Pakistan Internet Slowdown in 2025
The india pakistan internet slowdown has manifested as degraded speeds and higher ping times, impacting sectors beyond consumer use. Banking transactions, video calls, and online education platforms have faced interruptions, with some users reporting up to: 30-50 per cent increases in latency based on preliminary network monitoring data.
In India, the disruptions have coincided with high demand periods, exacerbating the internet disruptions India Pakistan 2025 for over 900 million internet subscribers. Telecom operators have activated backup terrestrial and satellite links, but these alternatives cannot fully compensate for the lost capacity of the severed cables, which boast terabit-per-second throughputs.
Pakistan, with its growing digital economy, has seen similar strains, where the internet disruptions India Pakistan 2025 compound existing challenges in rural connectivity. Official monitoring by bodies like the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) indicates that while urban areas maintain baseline service, remote regions experience more pronounced india pakistan internet slowdown effects.
Cross-verification from Indian government broadcaster DD News on Sunday, September 7, 2025, aligns with these accounts, confirming disruptions across Asia due to the Red Sea cuts without specifying local mitigation measures. Reuters reports further detail that the outages have prompted emergency rerouting, yet full restoration could extend into weeks or months given the complexities of subsea repairs.
Affected Services and User Impacts Amid Internet Disruptions India Pakistan 2025
Cloud-dependent enterprises have been hit hardest, with Microsoft’s Azure services registering the most complaints. The platform, used by businesses for data storage and processing, saw traffic diversions that mitigated total blackouts but introduced delays critical for real-time operations.
Social media and streaming services also reported buffering issues, though platforms like YouTube and WhatsApp remained accessible via domestic networks. In both India and Pakistan, e-commerce sites experienced transaction lags, potentially costing the digital market millions in lost revenue during the ongoing india pakistan internet slowdown.
Health and emergency services, reliant on stable connections for telemedicine and alerts, have urged users to conserve bandwidth. No widespread outages were recorded, but the internet disruptions India Pakistan 2025 highlight the fragility of concentrated cable routes in geopolitically tense waters.
Background
Undersea cables like SMW4 and IMEWE have long been the backbone of global internet, carrying 99 per cent of international data. The Red Sea route, vital for South Asian traffic, has faced intermittent threats since regional conflicts escalated in 2023. Prior incidents in 2024 involved similar damages, leading to brief slowdowns, but the September 2025 cuts represent a more severe multi-cable failure, affecting bandwidth availability by an estimated: 20-25 per cent in the region.
India and Pakistan, as endpoints for these systems, bear the brunt, with the former landing cables in Mumbai and the latter in Karachi. The disruptions come at a time when both nations are expanding 5G rollouts, making reliable international links essential for investment and innovation.
What’s Next for Internet Disruptions India Pakistan 2025
Repair vessels are en route to the Red Sea site, but assessments and fixes could take 4-8 weeks, depending on damage severity and access permissions. Telecom authorities in India and Pakistan have convened with international bodies to monitor progress, advising users to use VPNs sparingly and prioritise essential traffic during the india pakistan internet slowdown.
As efforts continue, the internet disruptions India Pakistan 2025 serve as a reminder of the need for diversified routing and resilient infrastructure to safeguard South Asia’s digital future.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, September 8th, 2025
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