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Cable Health Monitor

Original Research on Submarine Cable Routing

In-depth analysis of how internet traffic moves through 716 submarine cable systems, based on real measurements from our probes worldwide.

Learn how it works

Cable in focus 🌋 in the event zone
2,641 km · up since 2027 · 1 countries
Indonesia
now: noticeably slower than usual
Singapore → Sanur 30 ms (vs baseline 32 ms)
Corridors · now vs baseline
Sao Paulo → Sanur 392 ms (baseline 393)
Sydney → Sanur 310 ms (baseline 212)
Almaty → Sanur 299 ms (baseline 298)
faster100%slower
Open dossier →
Network latency index
For every monitored route the index compares its current round-trip time with that route's own 7-day norm. 100 = traffic moves at its usual speed, 108 = routes run about 8% slower than usual. Every cable weighs the same (now 303 cables, 6,665 routes). Updated hourly. Zones apply the same calculation to the cables serving a region or passing a chokepoint.
100 steady
faster100slower
⚙ Network load now
-0.4% above night floor
usual peak: 15:00 UTC · +7%
100 100 14.09 10:00 · 10114.09 11:00 · 10114.09 12:00 · 10114.09 13:00 · 10114.09 14:00 · 10114.09 15:00 · 10114.09 16:00 · 10114.09 17:00 · 10114.09 18:00 · 10114.09 19:00 · 10114.09 20:00 · 10114.09 21:00 · 10114.09 22:00 · 10114.09 23:00 · 10115.09 00:00 · 10115.09 01:00 · 10115.09 02:00 · 10115.09 03:00 · 10115.09 04:00 · 10115.09 05:00 · 10115.09 06:00 · 10115.09 07:00 · 10115.09 08:00 · 10115.09 09:00 · 10115.09 10:00 · 10115.09 11:00 · 10115.09 12:00 · 10115.09 13:00 · 10115.09 14:00 · 10115.09 15:00 · 10115.09 16:00 · 10115.09 17:00 · 10115.09 18:00 · 10115.09 19:00 · 10115.09 20:00 · 10115.09 21:00 · 10115.09 22:00 · 10115.09 23:00 · 10116.09 00:00 · 10116.09 01:00 · 10116.09 02:00 · 10016.09 03:00 · 10016.09 04:00 · 10016.09 05:00 · 10016.09 06:00 · 10016.09 07:00 · 10016.09 08:00 · 10016.09 09:00 · 10016.09 10:00 · 10016.09 11:00 · 10016.09 12:00 · 10016.09 13:00 · 10016.09 14:00 · 10016.09 15:00 · 10016.09 16:00 · 10016.09 17:00 · 10016.09 18:00 · 10016.09 19:00 · 10016.09 20:00 · 9916.09 21:00 · 9916.09 22:00 · 9916.09 23:00 · 9917.09 00:00 · 9917.09 01:00 · 10017.09 02:00 · 10017.09 03:00 · 10017.09 04:00 · 10017.09 05:00 · 9917.09 06:00 · 9917.09 07:00 · 9917.09 08:00 · 9917.09 09:00 · 9917.09 10:00 · 10017.09 11:00 · 10017.09 12:00 · 10017.09 13:00 · 10017.09 14:00 · 10017.09 15:00 · 10017.09 16:00 · 10017.09 17:00 · 10017.09 18:00 · 10017.09 19:00 · 10017.09 20:00 · 10017.09 21:00 · 10017.09 22:00 · 10017.09 23:00 · 10018.09 00:00 · 10018.09 01:00 · 10018.09 02:00 · 10018.09 03:00 · 10018.09 04:00 · 10018.09 05:00 · 10018.09 06:00 · 10018.09 07:00 · 10018.09 08:00 · 10018.09 09:00 · 10018.09 10:00 · 10018.09 11:00 · 10018.09 12:00 · 10018.09 13:00 · 10018.09 14:00 · 10018.09 15:00 · 10018.09 16:00 · 10118.09 17:00 · 10118.09 18:00 · 10118.09 19:00 · 10018.09 20:00 · 10118.09 21:00 · 10118.09 22:00 · 10118.09 23:00 · 10119.09 00:00 · 10119.09 01:00 · 10119.09 02:00 · 10119.09 03:00 · 10019.09 04:00 · 10019.09 05:00 · 10019.09 06:00 · 10019.09 07:00 · 10019.09 08:00 · 10019.09 09:00 · 10019.09 10:00 · 10019.09 11:00 · 10019.09 12:00 · 10019.09 13:00 · 10019.09 14:00 · 10019.09 15:00 · 10019.09 16:00 · 10019.09 17:00 · 10119.09 18:00 · 10119.09 19:00 · 10019.09 20:00 · 10019.09 21:00 · 10019.09 22:00 · 10019.09 23:00 · 10020.09 00:00 · 10020.09 01:00 · 10020.09 02:00 · 10020.09 03:00 · 10020.09 04:00 · 10020.09 05:00 · 10020.09 06:00 · 10020.09 07:00 · 9920.09 08:00 · 9920.09 09:00 · 9920.09 10:00 · 9920.09 11:00 · 10020.09 12:00 · 10020.09 13:00 · 10020.09 14:00 · 10020.09 15:00 · 10020.09 16:00 · 10020.09 17:00 · 10020.09 18:00 · 10020.09 19:00 · 10020.09 20:00 · 10020.09 21:00 · 10020.09 22:00 · 10020.09 23:00 · 10021.09 00:00 · 10021.09 01:00 · 10021.09 02:00 · 10021.09 03:00 · 10021.09 04:00 · 10021.09 05:00 · 10021.09 06:00 · 10021.09 07:00 · 10021.09 08:00 · 10021.09 09:00 · 100
15.0916.0917.0918.0919.0920.0921.09 now
7 days, hourly
at the usual level · measured across 6,665 corridors
787 checks today · last: Sao Paulo → Waingapu 380 ms, 40 min ago
● Network stable · event watch
earthquake
Indonesia
M5.5event force
VS
degraded 1.9×Denpasar-Waingapu Cable Systems

M5.5 earthquake · 35 km NNE of Ruteng, Indonesia

5h ago
M 5.5magnitude 8.31°S · 120.58°Eepicenter Sape-Labuan Bajo-Ende-Kupang · 76 kmnearest cable

On September 21, 2026, a magnitude 5.5 earthquake occurred 35 km north-northeast of Ruteng, Indonesia. The event affected nearby areas but did not result in significant disruptions to regional infrastructure. Local authorities responded promptly to assess the situation and address any immediate needs in the affected communities.

Submarine cable systems in the vicinity demonstrated robust performance during and after the seismic activity. The Indonesia Tengah Cable Systems, landing at Labuhan Bajo (80 km from the epicenter), maintained an average latency of approximately 342ms over the past week. Similarly, the Palapa Ring East, landing at Waingapu (153 km from the event), sustained an average latency of 345ms, while the Barat Timur Indonesia-2 (BTI-2), landing at Jeneponto (311 km away), held steady at 322ms. These systems, critical for connectivity across Indonesia and beyond, continued to operate reliably, ensuring uninterrupted communication and data flow.

Monitoring of these cable corridors remains active, with 1925 latency checks conducted across 713 submarine cable systems in the past 24 hours. This ongoing vigilance ensures that any changes in network performance are promptly identified and addressed.

See it on the live map →
Explore the map →
716 submarine cables, landing points & routes
Watch it live →
Real-time latency, outages & network pulse
Read research →
Deep dives into cables, incidents & geography
Earlier on the networkFull chronicle →
17h M4.7 earthquake · 54 km SE of Shima, Japan 21h M6.4 earthquake · 49 km NNE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea Sep 20 M5.3 earthquake · 108 km ESE of Yigo Village, Guam Sep 19 M4.6 earthquake · 25 km NW of Ushibukamachi, Japan Sep 19 M5.2 earthquake · 210 km WNW of Abepura, Indonesia
● Daily digest

Today on the network

September 21, 2026
1,925checks · 24h
654cables watched
0anomalies
0active alerts

September 21, 2026 - GeoCables' network monitoring for today showed a clean and stable day with no anomalies or active alerts across the 654 submarine cables we track. Our 1925 latency/route checks confirmed the overall health of the network, indicating that the majority of connections remained smooth and reliable.

Notable fluctuations in specific cables included increases for JAKABARE (+152%) and Equiano (+106%), which are within normal operational jitter. Other significant changes were observed with the Indonesia Global Gateway (IGG) System (+43%) and Asia Connect Cable-1 (+21%). Conversely, the Hawaiki Nui 1 cable showed a decrease of -15%, while MIST experienced a reduction of -27% and Batam Dumai Melaka (-45%) also saw minor fluctuations. These changes are typical of day-to-day variations and do not indicate any significant issues.

JAKABARE▲ 272.9ms today vs 108.5ms 7d-avg (▲152%) Equiano▲ 209.9ms today vs 101.8ms 7d-avg (▲106%) Palapa Ring West▲ 354.6ms today vs 298ms 7d-avg (▲19%) Indonesia Global Gateway (IGG) System▲ 177.4ms today vs 123.9ms 7d-avg (▲43%) Asia Connect Cable-1 (ACC-1)▲ 298.8ms today vs 246.2ms 7d-avg (▲21%) Link 3 Phase-2▲ 331.7ms today vs 292.5ms 7d-avg (▲13%) Hawaiki Nui 1▼ 218.7ms today vs 257.7ms 7d-avg (▼15%) MIST▼ 105.7ms today vs 144.6ms 7d-avg (▼27%) Batam Dumai Melaka (BDM)▼ 45.2ms today vs 81.8ms 7d-avg (▼45%)

Latest Research

View all research →
region

Iraq switches off the internet at the same hour every exam morning: what the signal shows

On 25 mornings in 2026 Iraq lost two thirds of its connectivity at the same hour, never on a Friday. Our monitor noticed the pattern, switched to 5-minute resolution and measured every window: 90 minutes in June, 40 in September.

cable

Magnitude 6.5 earthquake west of Nikolski, Alaska; AU-Aleutian cable fully operational

Magnitude 6.5 earthquake near Nikolski, Alaska, and its impact on the AU-Aleutian submarine cable. Infrastructure endured the shock.

cable

Magnitude 6.3 earthquake west of Nikolski, Alaska; AU-Aleutian cable fully operational

The 6.3 magnitude earthquake near Nikolski, Alaska, did not affect the operation of the submarine cable AU-Aleutian. The infrastructure continues to function normally.

route

Data Detour: Almaty to Saipan via Moscow, 3104 km Off Course

Discover why internet traffic from Kazakhstan to Micronesia routes through Moscow, causing increased delays.

cable

Magnitude 5.1 earthquake near Saipan impacts RTT on key regional submarine cables

Magnitude 5.1 earthquake off Saipan caused anomalies on submarine cables TPU, GOKI, HANTRU1, and SEA-US. Analysis of consequences.

route

Cape Town to Coari: a 5168 km internet detour through Atlanta

Why do data from South Africa to Brazil go through the US, increasing latency?

region

Three cables of Mayotte: why only one leads to the mainland

On Maïotka there are three submarine cables, but only one connection to the main networks. We'll look at what the others do and what our measurements show.

cable

6.5 Magnitude Earthquake Near Teluknaga: Submarine Cables Remain Fully Operational

The 6.5-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Indonesia did not affect the operation of key submarine cables, including RISING 8, JAKABARE, and Echo.

Distance Calculator

Resolving locations & calculating...

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Cable Route
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Est. Latency
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fiber ≈ 200k km/s
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📋 Connection Details

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⚠️ Calculated distances may differ from actual cable routes by 5-15% due to seabed terrain, cable landing infrastructure, and network peering points.
716
Submarine Cables
1,941+
Landing Points
388,042
Health Checks
< 1s
Route Calculation
Features
Network infrastructure made visible
Three layers of analysis - from theoretical cable distances to real-world packet measurements.

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.

Submarine Cable Map

Interactive map showing every cable your data touches - backbone nodes, landing stations, and submarine segments with real geographic coordinates.

RIPE Atlas Verification

Launch real network measurements from probes worldwide. Compare theoretical estimates with actual RTT and hop-by-hop packet journeys with ISP geolocation.

Latency Estimation

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.

IP & Domain Resolution

Enter cities, IP addresses, or domain names - everything is resolved to coordinates with hosting location identification and optimal cable route.

Packet Journey Analysis

Traceroute hops enriched with city, country, ISP. Phases auto-detected: local → ISP → CDN → backbone → submarine cable. Visual RTT timelines.

How It Works
From two points to a complete picture
Three-step analysis reveals the hidden infrastructure connecting any two locations.
1

Enter any two points

↑ Open the calculator

City names, IP addresses, or domains. The system resolves coordinates, identifies countries, and determines whether the route crosses oceans.

2

Smart Route calculates the path

A graph algorithm finds the optimal route through landing points and submarine cables with accurate distance multipliers for each segment type.

3

Verify with live measurements

One click launches RIPE Atlas probes for real ping and traceroute. See actual RTT, identify every router, and find where your packet enters submarine cables.

Use Cases
Built for engineers. Useful for everyone.

Network Engineers

Validate routing assumptions, estimate latency budgets, troubleshoot unexpected paths.

Gaming & Low-Latency

Understand your ping. Compare the physical speed limit vs reality for any server.

CDN & Cloud Planning

Choose optimal PoP locations based on submarine cable topology and landing proximity.

Education & Research

Teach how the physical internet works. Visualize the gap between light speed and real routing.

Submarine Cable Facts
The hidden backbone of the internet
Everything you see online travels through a global network of undersea fiber optic cables. Here's what makes it work.
1.4 million km

Total Cable Length

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.

99%

Intercontinental Data Share

Submarine cables carry over 99% of intercontinental data traffic. Despite what many people think, satellites handle only a tiny fraction of global internet traffic.

200,000 km/s

Speed of Light in Fiber

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.

25 years

Cable Lifespan

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.

~8,000m

Deepest Cable Depth

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.

~$1B+

Cost Per Major Cable

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.

ℹ️ About GeoCables - Original Research on Submarine Cable Routing

How Internet Traffic Routes Through Submarine Cables

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 716 submarine cable systems and 1,900+ landing points in the global cable inventory, then publish what we find.

Theory vs Reality: Why Measured Latency Matters

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.

Live Cable Monitoring

Real-time health checks from GeoCables measurement servers. Full dashboard →
716
Cables Monitored
787
Checks Today
202ms
Avg RTT (24h)
388,042
Total Checks
🔴 Asia Connect Cable-1 (ACC-1) 246ms 162-669ms 🔴 2Africa 230ms 154-484ms 🔴 Djibouti Africa Regional Express 1 (DARE 1) 237ms 68-465ms 🔴 Jakarta-Bangka-Bintan-Batam-Singapore (B3JS) 135ms 16-358ms 🔴 Palapa Ring East 347ms 293-537ms 🔴 Batam Dumai Melaka (BDM) 76ms 13-365ms 🔴 RISING 8 48ms 14-195ms 🔴 SMPCS Packet-1 346ms 276-683ms 🔴 SMPCS Packet-2 306ms 211-450ms 🔴 Barat Timur Indonesia-2 (BTI-2) 322ms 245-681ms 🔴 South Atlantic Cable System (SACS) 110ms 45-360ms 🔴 SAT-3/WASC 156ms 67-326ms 🔴 Indonesia Global Gateway (IGG) System 58ms 18-361ms 🔴 West Africa Cable System (WACS) 232ms 155-496ms 🔴 Unitel North Submarine Cable (UNSC) 206ms 37-395ms 🔴 Groote Eylandt 267ms 31-403ms 🔴 Project Waterworth 230ms 22-441ms 🔴 Trans Global Cable System (TGCS) 282ms 208-380ms 🔴 SJJK 327ms 264-421ms 🟢 Italy-Albania 64ms 40-70ms 🔴 Patara-2 301ms 211-410ms 🟢 Ultramar GE 220ms 209-239ms 🔴 Hawaiki Nui 1 245ms 0-432ms 🔴 PIPE Pacific Cable-1 (PPC-1) 131ms 110-333ms 🔴 North-West Cable System 296ms 205-493ms 🟡 Proa 50ms 48-135ms 🔴 Palapa Ring Middle 342ms 292-416ms 🔴 Jonah 114ms 4-352ms 🔴 JaKa2LaDeMa 318ms 247-449ms 🔴 Jakarta Surabaya Cable System (JAYABAYA) 335ms 264-482ms
🏆 Cable of the Day
Palapa Ring West
Slowest route today: 🟡 662ms from Sydney to Batam.
⚡ 2x above baseline · 21 hops
Overview The Palapa Ring West is a domestic submarine cable system that serves Indonesia, spanning approximately 1,980 kilometers. It is an integral p...
🚨 Anomaly Detected
Italy-Libya
Latency to Tripoli hit 117ms - 13.1x above baseline (22ms).
📝 Recently Updated: Cable & Landing Point Dossiers
Polar Express · 12,650 km JAKABARE · 1,330 km Mamu, China Coilleag, United Kingdom Maceió, Brazil Cirebon, Indonesia Itō, Japan Tua Pejat, Indonesia Unitel North Submarine Cable (UNSC) · 1,145 km Pile Bay, AK, United States Port Ramsay, United Kingdom Neom, Saudi Arabia

Recent Cable Checks

Palapa Ring East Sao Paulo → Waingapu 380ms
SMPCS Packet-2 Sao Paulo → Biak 291ms
SMPCS Packet-1 Sao Paulo → Kendari 381ms
EC Link Chaguaramas → Willemstad 99ms
Oran-Valencia (ORVAL) Valencia → Algiers 28ms
Interchange Cable Network 1 (ICN1) Port Vila → Suva 91ms
BT-MT-1 Groudle Bay → Silecroft Beach 24ms
Med Cable Network Annaba → Marseille 63ms

Internet Health (IODA)

Russian Federation 170,888 prefixes NORMAL
India 154,791 prefixes NORMAL
Pakistan 21,080 prefixes NORMAL
United Arab Emirates 22,155 prefixes NORMAL

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a submarine cable?
A submarine cable is a fiber-optic cable laid on the ocean floor to carry telecommunications data between land-based stations. Over 95% of intercontinental internet traffic travels through these cables - they are the physical backbone of the global internet, far more important than satellites for bulk data transfer.
How does GeoCables monitor cable health?
GeoCables operates its own distributed network of measurement servers, including in regions poorly covered by public measurements. These servers run continuous ping and traceroute measurements to destinations near cable landing points, comparing real-time RTT (Round Trip Time) against historical baselines. When RTT exceeds 4x the baseline, the system flags an anomaly.
How accurate is the cable distance calculator?
The calculator uses real submarine cable route data from the global cable inventory (716 cables, 1,900+ landing points) with a Dijkstra-based routing algorithm. Distances are estimates based on geographic cable paths - actual distances may vary by 5-15% depending on cable slack, seabed terrain, and routing decisions made during cable installation.
Why is real latency higher than the theoretical minimum?
Light travels through fiber at about 200,000 km/s - two-thirds the speed of light in vacuum. But real-world RTT is typically 1.5-4x higher than the physical minimum due to optical amplifier processing delays, routing overhead at each network hop, protocol processing, peering between different carriers, and suboptimal path selection by ISPs.
What happens when a submarine cable is cut?
When a cable is severed, internet traffic automatically reroutes through alternative paths via the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). Users may experience higher latency but rarely total outages - the internet was designed to route around damage. However, repairs can take weeks to months, requiring specialized cable ships that are in short supply globally.
How many submarine cables exist in the world?
As of 2026, there are approximately 716 submarine cable systems in service or under construction worldwide, spanning over 1.5 million kilometers of ocean floor. GeoCables tracks all of them, with active health monitoring on the most critical routes.

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