Global Internet Routing: Why a Packet Took the Long Way from Brazil to Oman
When an internet packet is sent from São Paulo, Brazil, to Al-Seeb, Oman, one intuitively expects it to travel the most direct route via submarine cables connecting South America to the Middle East. However, data from GeoCables, measured on August 17, 2026, reveals a surprising picture: instead of taking a direct path of 12,477 km, the packet deviated by a staggering 7,519 km, reaching Atlanta, USA, before returning to Muscat, Oman. The final round-trip time (RTT) was 382 ms, nearly three times the theoretical physical minimum of 125 ms achievable by light traveling through fiber optic cables over such a distance.
Why is the route so unusual?
The root of such deviations lies in the complex ecosystem of internet service providers and their network interactions. The packet began its journey within the network of NIC.BR (AS22548), the national coordinator of internet traffic in Brazil. It then entered the transit network of one of the world's largest operators, Cogent Communications (AS174), headquartered in the USA. Cogent is known for its global network and traffic exchange points, but its routes are often optimized more for cost savings than for minimizing latency. Finally, the traffic completed its journey in the network of Zain Omantel (AS8529), which serves Oman and surrounding regions.
The reason for this routing lies in the absence of direct peering between Brazil and Oman. Instead, the traffic uses the USA as a transit hub, where major data exchange points like Atlanta are located. Peering and transit economics play a crucial role: providers choose routes that minimize their own costs rather than the path that would be physically shortest.
Practical implications for users
An RTT of 382 ms is a significant hurdle for many online activities. For example, video calls on platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams suffer from noticeable delays, making natural communication difficult. For online gaming, especially shooters and MOBA games where every millisecond matters, a delay of 382 ms renders gameplay virtually impossible. Trading systems that rely on instant responses also lose their competitive edge. Even cloud services like Google Drive or Dropbox become less convenient, as each server request takes considerably longer.
By comparison, if the route were optimized to the physical minimum (125 ms), the quality of all these services would improve significantly. This clearly illustrates how infrastructure decisions by providers can impact user experience.
Infrastructure context: why regional traffic takes "detours"
Global internet infrastructure depends on submarine cables and their landing points. South America has a limited number of direct submarine connections to the Middle East. Most cables connect the continent either to North America or to Europe, from where traffic is then routed further. Thus, transit through the USA becomes a natural choice, especially if providers lack direct peering agreements.
The situation is compounded by economic and technical decisions made by providers. For instance, Zain Omantel in Oman may prefer to receive traffic through its primary partner networks located in the USA and Europe rather than via more expensive or less reliable connections to South America.
Real-world events near the route
Interestingly, natural events were recorded in the region of the route that could have impacted internet infrastructure. For example, in June 2026, Brazil declared a green-level flood alert, although the floods were 615 km away from the packet's departure point. Additionally, in May and June 2026, several earthquakes with magnitudes of approximately 4.7-4.9 occurred near Bandar Abbas, Iran, at distances of 478-517 km from the packet's route to Oman.
However, GeoCables monitoring clearly shows that the detour was caused by routing decisions, not these events. They did not affect the physical infrastructure of the cables through which the traffic traveled.
Conclusion
This case vividly demonstrates how global internet infrastructure, peering, and transit economics shape routes that are far from optimal in terms of latency. GeoCables continues to monitor such anomalous routes, providing a unique insight into the world of network interactions and their impact on user experience.
