Smart Cable Routing
Dijkstra-based routing through real submarine cables and landing points from the industry cable inventory. Accurate distance multipliers for land and undersea segments.
In-depth analysis of how internet traffic moves through 723 submarine cable systems, based on real measurements from our probes worldwide.
On October 12, 2026, the Kanlaon Volcano in the Philippines experienced an eruption, emitting ash clouds and prompting an Orange aviation alert level, as reported by the regional Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC). The eruption, with a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 2, affected an area with a population of approximately 870,000 people within 30 kilometers and over 10 million people within 100 kilometers. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) has maintained an Alert Level 2 for the volcano and continues to monitor its activity closely.
Despite the proximity of this volcanic activity to several submarine cable systems, regional connectivity remained stable. The Philippine Domestic Submarine Cable Network (PDSCN), landing at Bacolod just 31 kilometers from the event, maintained its average round-trip time of ~230ms. Similarly, the Converge Domestic Submarine Cable Network (CDSCN), with a landing point in San Carlos 32 kilometers away, held its ~224ms baseline. These systems, along with others in the vicinity, continued to provide uninterrupted service, demonstrating the resilience of the region's submarine cable infrastructure during natural events.
Real-time monitoring of these and other critical submarine cable systems is ongoing, ensuring continuous oversight of network performance across the region. The infrastructure remains robust, supporting reliable connectivity for users and businesses alike.
October 12, 2026 - GeoCables’ network monitoring for today shows an overall healthy state with no anomalies detected across the 666 submarine cables we monitor. While the day was relatively calm, there were some notable movements in real-time latency that warrant attention. Two active alerts were recorded, primarily affecting the Medusa Submarine Cable System and IRIS, indicating increased round-trip times (RTT) by +212% and +143%, respectively. These changes are within normal operational jitter and do not indicate any significant issues.
Specifically, the Medusa Submarine Cable System experienced a warning alert with resolved latency, while IRIS showed ongoing monitoring of increased RTT. Other notable cables like Guam Okinawa Kyushu Incheon (GOKI), JAKABARE, Equiano, Eastern Africa Submarine System (EASSy), SMPCS Packet-2, Palapa Ring East, and Project Waterworth also exhibited minor fluctuations in latency but remained within expected ranges of normal network behavior. These changes are typical of day-to-day variations and do not suggest any underlying issues.
All cable incidents, each with its own report →
The M6.2 earthquake off Papua-New Guinea did not affect the operation of the Kumul and Coral Sea submarine cables.
Magnitude 4.6 earthquake in Santa Cruz, Philippines affected the operation of submarine cables, including APCN-2, ADC, and others.
The magnitude 6 earthquake near La Trozos, Panama, tested the resilience of the submarine cables PAC, Curie, PCCS, and others. The infrastructure operates normally.
magnitude 6.6 earthquake near Rio Grande, Panama. Analysis of submarine cables in the zone: Alisios, Curie, PCCS, CSN-1, and others.
Magnitude 4.6 earthquake off the Izu Islands caused anomalies on submarine cables, including APCN-2 and EAC-C2C.
The 7.7 magnitude earthquake off Pitáoles Arriba, Panama, did not affect the operation of submarine cables in the region. Infrastructure continues to function.
The forest fire in Indonesia caused anomalies on submarine cables, including APCN-2 and Asia Direct Cable. Analysis of data and possible consequences.
The 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Vanuatu did not affect the submarine cables Tamtam and ICN1. The infrastructure is operating normally.
| Point A | - |
|---|---|
| Point B | - |
| Coordinates A | - |
| Coordinates B | - |
| Cable Multiplier | - |
| Crosses Ocean | - |
| Route Details | - |
| Data Source | - |
Dijkstra-based routing through real submarine cables and landing points from the industry cable inventory. Accurate distance multipliers for land and undersea segments.
Interactive map showing every cable your data touches - backbone nodes, landing stations, and submarine segments with real geographic coordinates.
Launch real network measurements from probes worldwide. Compare theoretical estimates with actual RTT and hop-by-hop packet journeys with ISP geolocation.
Speed-of-light physics combined with cable distance to estimate latency. See the real-world overhead - how much slower actual routing is vs fiber limits.
Enter cities, IP addresses, or domain names - everything is resolved to coordinates with hosting location identification and optimal cable route.
Traceroute hops enriched with city, country, ISP. Phases auto-detected: local → ISP → CDN → backbone → submarine cable. Visual RTT timelines.
City names, IP addresses, or domains. The system resolves coordinates, identifies countries, and determines whether the route crosses oceans.
A graph algorithm finds the optimal route through landing points and submarine cables with accurate distance multipliers for each segment type.
One click launches our own measurement network for real ping and traceroute. See actual RTT, identify every router, and find where your packet enters submarine cables.
Validate routing assumptions, estimate latency budgets, troubleshoot unexpected paths.
Understand your ping. Compare the physical speed limit vs reality for any server.
Choose optimal PoP locations based on submarine cable topology and landing proximity.
Teach how the physical internet works. Visualize the gap between light speed and real routing.
Over 500 submarine cable systems span the world's oceans, with a combined length of approximately 1.4 million kilometers - enough to circle the Earth 35 times.
Submarine cables carry over 99% of intercontinental data traffic. Despite what many people think, satellites handle only a tiny fraction of global internet traffic.
Light travels through fiber optic cable at about two-thirds the speed of light in vacuum. A signal from London to New York takes approximately 28 milliseconds one way.
Modern submarine cables are designed to last 25 years. Cables are buried in the seabed near shores and laid directly on the ocean floor in deep water, protected by layers of steel and polyethylene.
The deepest submarine cables reach the abyssal plains at nearly 8,000 meters. At these depths, cables rest on the ocean floor under enormous pressure, beyond the reach of anchors and fishing gear.
Major transoceanic cable projects like 2Africa or PEACE cost over $1 billion. Investment comes from tech giants like Google, Meta, and Microsoft, as well as telecom consortiums.
GeoCables is a research publication on the physical infrastructure of the global internet. We publish in-depth analyses of how data actually travels between countries - which submarine cables are used, what the measured latency is, and why it differs from the theoretical minimum.
Our research is grounded in real measurements from our own distributed network of measurement servers. We trace specific routes across 723 submarine cable systems and 1,900+ landing points in the global cable inventory, then publish what we find.
Light through fiber travels at ~200,000 km/s - about two-thirds the speed of light in vacuum. That sets the theoretical floor for round-trip time. In practice, real RTT is 1.5-4× higher due to routing detours, optical amplifiers, protocol processing, peering between networks, and suboptimal path selection. Our research articles document this overhead on specific routes - measuring it, explaining it, and tracing it back to the cables and networks responsible.
We run our own measurement network worldwide and watch in real time how traffic moves through submarine cables: where latency climbs, where links drop, what is happening right now. Open the live map to see network health and where it is noisy.