The UAE is renowned for its lightning-fast internet speeds. However, a temporary slowdown over the weekend had residents feeling the effects both at work and during leisure activities.
This slowdown coincided with a three-day weekend when many were looking forward to unwinding with streaming services or online gaming. Instead, social media was abuzz with complaints about interrupted downloads, buffering videos, and sluggish browsing.
For gamers like Ahmed Al Mansoori in Dubai, the slowdown was a significant disruption. “I was trying to live stream my gameplay to friends, but the video kept freezing, and my voice chat was constantly cutting out,” he said. “It was more than just irritating; it made the entire experience unfeasible. I had to pause my sessions repeatedly, ruining my weekend plans.”
Stay informed with the latest updates. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
Ahmed tried various solutions to restore his connection. He refreshed the game multiple times, rebooted his console, disconnected and rebooted the router, and ran several speed tests to diagnose the problem. “Nothing helped,” he said. “It was as if the internet had given up on me completely. I had to pause my sessions repeatedly, and my weekend plans were totally derailed.”
Remote workers were also affected. Some residents had intended to use the long weekend to catch up on work or participate in online meetings. Elizabeth Mark in Abu Dhabi faced repeated disruptions during a scheduled video meeting with her UK colleagues. “The call disconnected every few minutes,” she said. “I had to constantly reconnect, which was really stressful.”
The temporary dip in internet speeds occurred due to a series of undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea, impacting internet services throughout the Middle East. According to Downdetector, reports of issues flooded in from across the UAE, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Jebel Ali, and Umm Al Quwain. Complaints primarily involved landline internet, TV streaming, and mobile networks.
Even casual users noticed the slowdown. Khalid Saeed from Sharjah had planned to relax with his favorite streaming service but encountered persistent buffering. “I just wanted to watch a movie, but the sluggish speeds made it impossible. It was frustrating, especially since it was my day off,” he said.
Microsoft released a statement: “Starting 05:45 UTC (9:45 am UAE time) on September 6, 2025, network traffic passing through the Middle East may experience increased latency due to undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea. Network traffic is not interrupted as Microsoft has rerouted it through alternative paths. We anticipate higher latency on some traffic that previously went through the Middle East. Traffic that doesn’t pass through the Middle East remains unaffected. We’ll provide daily updates, or sooner if conditions change.”
