Submarine Cable Insights
Data-driven analysis of global internet routing, submarine cable performance, and network anomalies — based on real measurements.
Jerusalem to Peru: 584ms — How Hurricane Electric Routes the Middle East to Latin America Through Milan, Virginia Beach, and Sao Paulo
Our Jerusalem probe traced a route to Peru: 584ms through Italy, France, Virginia Beach, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Hurricane Electric carried the packet across two oceans via its global backbone. GeoCables analyzes why Israel-to-Peru traffic detours through Brazil.
Week in Review: One Second to Taiwan, 724ms to an Island, and a Packet That Crossed Three Continents to Reach Colombia
GeoCables monitored over 695 submarine cables this week and found packets taking absurd detours: 1,021ms to Taiwan through 10 countries, 724ms to Mauritius via South Africa, 548ms Singapore to Colombia via Paris. Here are the most extreme routes of March 24-29, 2026.
Tbilisi to Mauritius: 724ms via Johannesburg — When SEACOM Takes Your Packets 15,000 km South Before Sending Them East
A packet from Tbilisi to Mauritius travels through Marseille, Johannesburg, Mombasa, and Nairobi before reaching its island destination at 724ms. GeoCables traces the SEACOM cable route and explains why the Indian Ocean has no shortcut for the Caucasus.
Singapore to Colombia: 548ms Across Three Continents — Why TELXIUS Sends Your Packets Through Paris and Virginia to Reach South America
A packet from Singapore to Colombia travels 548ms through Paris and Ashburn before landing in Medellín. Three continents, five countries, zero direct cables. GeoCables traces the route and explains why Asia and South America remain the most disconnected pair of regions on Earth.
Antarctica: The Last Continent Without a Submarine Cable — Where Scientists Schedule Their Internet by the Hour
Antarctica remains the only continent with zero submarine cables. Scientists endure 750ms latency, 40 kbps speeds, and internet access limited to a few hours per day. Chile is now studying a 1,000 km cable that could change everything by 2034.
Svalbard: How Norway Laid the World's Northernmost Cable Through Arctic Storms — And Why Someone Cut It
The Svalbard Undersea Cable System runs 1,375 km through the Greenland Sea at depths up to 2,700 meters. Laid in just 25 days during the only ice-free window, it was mysteriously severed in 2022. Now Norway is building its successor: the Arctic Way.
Nigeria to Cameroon: 502ms and Six Countries to Reach a Neighbor — When a Direct Cable Goes Unused
GeoCables traceroute reveals traffic from Nigeria to neighboring Cameroon travels through South Africa, UK, France, USA, and Brazil — despite a direct submarine cable connecting the two countries.
The Internet's Longest Detours: When Your Data Crosses 11 Countries to Reach a Neighbor
Real traceroute data from GeoCables probes reveals absurd internet routing: Georgia to Taiwan through 11 countries, Nigeria to Japan via three continents, Norway to Australia through the entire USA.
Arctic Cables: How the World's Northernmost Communities Stay Online
From Svalbard to Greenland to Russia's Northern Sea Route — how submarine cables bring internet to the Arctic. GeoCables maps the world's most extreme cable infrastructure.
September 6, 2025: The Day the Red Sea Lost Its Cables — And the Internet Survived
On September 6, 2025, multiple submarine cables were severed in the Red Sea near Jeddah. Microsoft Azure went into emergency rerouting. India, Pakistan, and the UAE lost speed. GeoCables analyzes what happened, how the internet rerouted, and what our probes see today.
Two Routes to Taiwan: Eurasia in 217ms vs America in 345ms
Two routes to Taiwan: Minsk reaches Taiwan in 217ms via Russia and China, while Tbilisi takes 345ms via the US. GeoCables traceroute analysis of TransTeleCom vs Cogent.
Cuba: The Only Country Where Geopolitics Decides Your Internet Route — 276ms via Brazil Because the US Is Off Limits
Every packet to Cuba avoids the United States. Our 111 measurements show all traffic routed through Brazil — a direct result of the US embargo. ALBA-1, built by Venezuela, is Cuba's only commercial cable.
Equatorial Guinea: The Country Whose Internet Crosses Eight US Cities to Reach Australia
From Bata to Sydney, a packet crosses West Africa, Portugal, Spain, and eight US cities before finally reaching Australia. 542 measurements reveal how Equatorial Guinea connects to the world.
Georgia to Taiwan: 743ms Through Nine Countries — Why Cogent Sends Packets Across North America to Reach Asia's Biggest Cable Hub
Taiwan has 20+ submarine cables and direct links to every major network. Yet traffic from Georgia crosses nine countries and all of North America to get there. 551 measurements expose the paradox.
The Pacific Islands' Internet Paradox: Why Data Crosses Three Oceans to Reach Samoa
Our probes measured 866 traceroutes to Samoa — every single one crosses Europe, Singapore, and Australia before arriving. RTT swings from 381ms to 1,279ms within the same network. Here's why.
Cogent vs NTT: Two Carriers, Two Philosophies, Two Paths to Asia
NTT routes Asia traffic via the USA. Cogent goes directly through Marseille and Singapore. GeoCables compares both carriers with real traceroute data.
Samoa & Tonga: Internet at the Edge of the World
Why does latency to Tonga spike from 297ms to 995ms? How a volcanic eruption cut Tonga off the internet in 2022.
Cuba's Internet: One Cable, One Company, Zero Redundancy
Cuba has one submarine cable — ALBA-1 to Venezuela. Our traceroute from Georgia shows traffic reaching Cuba via São Paulo, Brazil.
Georgia to Hong Kong in 214ms: The Route That Skips the USA
Georgia to Hong Kong in 214ms via Level 3 — no US transit, no Pacific crossing. Why Hong Kong is easier to reach from Tbilisi than Tokyo.
Why NTT Sends All Asian Traffic Through the USA: The Transpacific Paradox
Why does NTT America route traffic from Georgia and Belarus to Japan through Paris, Ashburn, and San Jose? GeoCables analysis reveals the transpacific paradox.
Sri Lanka to Mauritius: 255ms via Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and TATA's Indian Ocean Backbone
Sri Lanka to Mauritius traceroute: 255ms via Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. How TATA Communications routes Indian Ocean traffic through its Singapore hub — and why AfriNIC makes Mauritius Africa's internet capital.
Australia–Singapore Submarine Cables: The Complete Guide
Which submarine cables connect Australia to Singapore? Complete guide to ASC, INDIGO-West, ACC-1, and Hawaiki Nui 1 — routes, landing points, latency, and capacity.
Georgia to Indonesia: 318ms the Long Way — Why NTT Sends Asian Traffic Through America
Georgia to Indonesia: 318ms via the USA instead of the Middle East. Why NTT America routes Southeast Asian traffic through Ashburn and San Jose — and what a direct path would look like.
Belarus to Japan: 273ms via Tallinn and NTT's Transpacific Highway
Belarus to Japan in 273ms: NTT America carries the packet from Frankfurt to Osaka through Paris, Ashburn, and San Jose. Three oceans, one carrier — how NTT's transpacific backbone works.
Belarus to China in 181ms: Faster Than You'd Expect Through Frankfurt
Belarus to China in 181ms — the fastest route in our database, via Frankfurt and China Unicom's trans-Eurasian backbone. How Belt and Road digital infrastructure shapes routing between Europe and China.
Belarus to Qatar: 409ms and Then Silence — The Most Opaque Route in Our Database
Belarus to Qatar traceroute: 409ms with 247 invisible hops after Warsaw. Why Qatar's network goes completely dark to traceroute — and what the 399ms gap reveals about Gulf internet infrastructure.
Georgia to Egypt: 202ms via Mombasa and Mauritius — The Backwards African Route
Georgia to Egypt traceroute: 202ms via Marseille, Mombasa, Nairobi, and Mauritius. How SEACOM cable routing sends traffic 18,000km to reach a destination 1,500km away.
Singapore to Colombia: 292ms via Paris and Miami — The Latin America Problem
Why does Singapore's internet reach Colombia via Paris and Miami? Real traceroute reveals the 292ms path and explains why Miami is the internet capital of Latin America.
Georgia to Philippines: 321ms the Wrong Way Around — Through the USA
Why does internet traffic from Georgia reach the Philippines via the USA? NTT's backbone routes 321ms through Paris, Ashburn, and San Jose — 28,000km for a 6,500km destination.
Georgia to French Polynesia: 298ms Through Honolulu to Tahiti
Why does internet traffic from Georgia reach French Polynesia via Hawaii? Real traceroute data explains the 298ms path and the Honotua submarine cable connecting Tahiti to the world.
Belarus to New Zealand: 311ms to the World's Most Remote Internet Hub
How does Belarus reach New Zealand's most remote internet hub in 311ms? Traceroute shows 5 invisible hops — the submarine cable journey from Moscow to Auckland.
Belarus to South Korea in 200ms: The Fastest Route Through Moscow and Hong Kong
How does Belarus reach South Korea in just 200ms? Traceroute reveals a surprisingly efficient path via Moscow's trans-Siberian fiber and Hong Kong to Seoul.
Georgia to Fiji: How a Pacific Island Gets Its Internet via London
Why does internet traffic from Georgia reach Fiji via London? Real traceroute shows a 370ms path through 3 continents and the Southern Cross submarine cable.
The Longest Route We've Ever Measured: Oman to Chile at 452ms
Why does internet traffic from Oman to Chile travel 35,000 km through Singapore, Japan, and the USA? Real traceroute data reveals the longest route in our database at 452ms.
Why Does Internet Traffic from Kazakhstan to Indonesia Go Through London and San Jose?
A data-driven analysis of the 334ms routing anomaly between Almaty and Jakarta — why internet traffic from landlocked Kazakhstan travels through London and San Jose to reach Indonesia.
Why Landlocked Countries Have Terrible Internet: The Physics of Connectivity
Why do landlocked countries like Kazakhstan and Belarus have higher internet latency? Real RIPE Atlas data shows the 2-3x overhead of routing through transit countries to reach submarine cables.
Baltic Sea Cable Sabotage 2024–2025: When Ships Became Weapons
How use ships to cut Baltic Sea submarine cables in 2024–2025? GeoCables analysis of the sabotage incidents, routing impact, and NATO's Baltic Sentry response.
Red Sea Cable Cuts 2024: How Houthi Attacks Rerouted the Internet
How did Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping damage 4 submarine cables in 2024? GeoCables analysis of the routing impact, latency changes, and why the Red Sea cannot be avoided.
GlobeNet: The Transatlantic Cable Powering Latin America's Financial Networks
GlobeNet: the 23,500km submarine cable built for financial markets connecting Wall Street to São Paulo. How low-latency trading shaped cable route decisions between the US and Latin America.
Hawaiki Cable: New Zealand and Australia's Pacific Lifeline
Hawaiki cable: 15,000km transpacific link connecting New Zealand and Australia to the US West Coast. How the 2022 Tonga volcanic eruption tested Pacific cable resilience.
APCN-2: The Backbone of Intra-Asian Internet
APCN-2: the 19,000km ring cable connecting 8 Asian countries. GeoCables monitoring data, Taiwan earthquake vulnerability analysis, and why a 20-year-old cable still carries critical traffic.
SEA-ME-WE 5: The Internet Highway Between Asia and Europe
SEA-ME-WE 5: the 20,000km submarine cable connecting Singapore to France via the Middle East. GeoCables monitoring data, chokepoints analysis, and real RTT measurements.
2Africa: The World's Longest Submarine Cable at 45,000km
2Africa at 45,000km is the world's longest submarine cable, circumnavigating Africa and connecting 33 countries. GeoCables monitors 450 segments. Full profile with route, owners, and capacity data.