Why Sydney's Internet Traffic Detours Through London
What do Sydney and Gqeberha, two cities on opposite ends of the globe, have in common? It turns out that the internet traffic connecting them can hold quite a few surprises. Recent GeoCables monitoring revealed that data sent from Australia to South Africa traveled not only the direct distance of 11,012 km but also detoured an additional 9,671 km, reaching London before returning to Africa. The total latency amounted to 394 ms, nearly four times the theoretical minimum of 110 ms for such a distance.
Key network providers: who carries the traffic?
On its journey from Sydney to Gqeberha, the traffic passed through several major networks, including Over The Wire Pty Ltd (AS9268) in Australia, AFR-IX TELECOM (AS60171) in Spain and the United Kingdom, and then Cape Connect Internet (AS37640) in South Africa. These networks represent a mix of local and transit operators. For instance, AFR-IX TELECOM, based in Barcelona, specializes in cross-border connections and manages cable infrastructure in Europe and Africa. However, the lack of direct peering (connection points) between Australia and South Africa, combined with the commercial logic of transit routing, forces data to pass through London, one of the largest hubs for internet traffic exchange.
Practical implications for users
Such delays can be critical for end-users. For example:
- Video calls: A 394 ms delay can lead to noticeable echo and conversation lags, making communication less comfortable.
- Online gaming: A player's reaction in shooters or strategy games depends on connection speed. With latency above 150 ms, gameplay becomes challenging, and at 394 ms, nearly impossible.
- Cloud services: An RTT (Round-Trip Time) of 394 ms can significantly reduce the performance of cloud applications like remote desktops or databases.
- Financial trading: In high-frequency trading, every millisecond matters. A delay of hundreds of milliseconds can result in missed profitable trades.
Why does regional traffic "go astray"?
Regional infrastructure characteristics play a key role. Historically, Australia and South Africa have had limited direct submarine cable connections. Instead, data is often routed through Europe, where major traffic exchange hubs like London and Frankfurt are located. This routing is driven by operators' economic considerations, as they opt for cheaper and more stable routes, even if it increases overall latency.
Real-world context: events near the route
Interestingly, natural phenomena were recorded near the route. A day before the measurements (July 7, 2026), a green flood alert was issued in Australia, approximately 592 km from Sydney. However, GeoCables clearly shows that the route deviation was not caused by this event but solely by routing characteristics. Similar floods were reported in South Africa on June 5, as well as in the Netherlands and Belgium in late June, but they had no impact on internet traffic.
What does GeoCables' measurement show?
Based on the analysis of 15 network hops, the route appears as follows:
- Sydney, Australia (Over The Wire Pty Ltd)
- Barcelona, Spain (AFR-IX TELECOM)
- London, United Kingdom (AFR-IX TELECOM UK)
- Cape Town, South Africa (Cape Connect Internet)
This path illustrates how modern internet networks can be surprisingly inefficient in certain regions. Platforms like GeoCables aim not only to document such routes but also to help operators and users understand infrastructure challenges and explore solutions.
In conclusion, while the global internet network strives for maximum speed and efficiency, cases like the detour between Sydney and Gqeberha remind us that route optimization is both a technical and economic challenge.
