Home
Explore Cables Locations Map ISP status Shutdowns
Live Live Map Health Latency Deployments by year Pulse Big screen 🖥
Learn Research Guide Methodology
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
6,900 km · up since 2009 · 3 countries
Papua New GuineaGuamAustralia
now: running normally
Sydney → Sydney 0 ms (vs baseline 0 ms)
Corridors · now vs baseline
Piti → Sydney 249 ms (baseline 249)
Sydney → Piti 146 ms (baseline 148)
Minsk → Sydney 307 ms (baseline 315)
faster100%slower
48 h vs its own baseline (100)
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 304 cables, 6,936 routes). Updated hourly. Zones apply the same calculation to the cables serving a region or passing a chokepoint.
100 steady
faster100slower
⚙ Network load now
+14.6% above night floor
usual peak: 02:00 UTC · +6.9%
100 100 13.09 19:00 · 10113.09 20:00 · 10113.09 21:00 · 10113.09 22:00 · 10113.09 23:00 · 10114.09 00:00 · 10114.09 01:00 · 10114.09 02:00 · 10114.09 03:00 · 10114.09 04:00 · 10114.09 05:00 · 10114.09 06:00 · 10114.09 07:00 · 10114.09 08:00 · 10114.09 09:00 · 10114.09 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 · 100
14.0915.0916.0917.0918.0919.0920.09 now
7 days, hourly
at the usual level · measured across 6,936 corridors
1,428 checks today · last: Balchik → Poti 51 ms, 69 min ago
● Network stable · event watch
earthquake
Papua New Guinea
M6.4event force
VS
network heldPIPE Pacific Cable-1 (PPC-1) +1%

M6.4 earthquake · 49 km NNE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea

6h ago
M 6.4magnitude 5.90°S · 146.09°Eepicenter Kumul Domestic Submarine Cable System · 82 kmnearest cable

On September 20, 2026, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurred 49 km NNE of Kainantu, Papua New Guinea. The event's source alert level was green, indicating minimal immediate impact to the affected region. The quake's proximity to population centers and infrastructure required attention, but response systems reported stable conditions following the event. Monitoring tools and real-time notifications ensured ongoing situational awareness in the area.

Submarine cables near the event, including the PIPE Pacific Cable-1 (PPC-1), demonstrated resilience during the earthquake. PPC-1, which connects Papua New Guinea to Australia and other Pacific regions, held steady at an average latency of 171 ms over 68 checks conducted in the past week. This stability underscores the robustness of critical communication pathways in the region, even under seismic stress. Across the 713 submarine cable systems monitored globally, 2036 latency checks over the last 24 hours confirmed the infrastructure's ability to maintain uninterrupted traffic.

Real-time monitoring continues across these corridors, ensuring reliable performance and rapid detection of any future changes. The network's stability reflects the strength of the systems in place and the ongoing vigilance of monitoring efforts.

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 →
11h 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 Sep 18 M4.8 earthquake · 5 km SW of Guánica, Puerto Rico Sep 18 M5 earthquake · Izu Islands, Japan region
● Daily digest

Today on the network

September 20, 2026
2,111checks · 24h
661cables watched
0anomalies
0active alerts

September 20, 2026 - Today's monitoring of GeoCables' network was characterized by overall health and stability across the 661 submarine cables we monitor. With no anomalies flagged and zero active alerts, it was a quiet day with all systems operating smoothly.

The per-cable signals showed some normal jitter in latency measurements. Notably, the Mercator cable experienced a significant increase of +189% RTT, which has now resolved. Other cables like JAKABARE, Maya-1.2, and SPCS/Mistral also showed increases ranging from 38% to 284%, reflecting typical fluctuations in network performance under normal conditions.

Mercatoralert: warning · resolved (+189% RTT) JAKABARE▲ 270.1ms today vs 93.4ms 7d-avg (▲189%) Maya-1.2▲ 138.4ms today vs 36ms 7d-avg (▲284%) South Pacific Cable System (SPCS)/Mistral▲ 183.6ms today vs 81.7ms 7d-avg (▲125%) Bay of Bengal Gateway (BBG)▲ 328.1ms today vs 235.5ms 7d-avg (▲39%) T3▲ 216.3ms today vs 140.3ms 7d-avg (▲54%) SEA-US▲ 285.4ms today vs 216.3ms 7d-avg (▲32%) TAM-1▲ 130.5ms today vs 64.4ms 7d-avg (▲103%) ARCOS▲ 133.8ms today vs 69.8ms 7d-avg (▲92%)

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...

Straight-Line
-
Cable Route
-
Est. Latency
-
fiber ≈ 200k km/s
Route Type
-

📋 Connection Details

Point A-
Point B-
Coordinates A-
Coordinates B-
Cable Multiplier-
Crosses Ocean-
Route Details-
Data Source-
Building route...
No calculations yet
-
Route km
-
Hops
-
Est. RTT
-
Type
⚠️ 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
386,752
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
1,428
Checks Today
194ms
Avg RTT (24h)
386,752
Total Checks
🔴 Asia Connect Cable-1 (ACC-1) 246ms 162-714ms 🔴 2Africa 230ms 154-484ms 🔴 Djibouti Africa Regional Express 1 (DARE 1) 237ms 68-465ms 🔴 Palapa Ring East 343ms 293-425ms 🔴 RISING 8 49ms 15-195ms 🔴 Jakarta-Bangka-Bintan-Batam-Singapore (B3JS) 139ms 16-357ms 🔴 Batam Dumai Melaka (BDM) 79ms 13-365ms 🔴 SAT-3/WASC 156ms 67-326ms 🔴 SMPCS Packet-2 304ms 211-424ms 🔴 West Africa Cable System (WACS) 231ms 155-496ms 🔴 Unitel North Submarine Cable (UNSC) 207ms 37-395ms 🔴 South Atlantic Cable System (SACS) 112ms 44-360ms 🔴 SMPCS Packet-1 346ms 276-683ms 🔴 Barat Timur Indonesia-2 (BTI-2) 325ms 245-681ms 🔴 Groote Eylandt 267ms 31-403ms 🔴 Indonesia Global Gateway (IGG) System 59ms 18-361ms 🟢 Ultramar GE 218ms 208-239ms 🔴 Project Waterworth 237ms 22-784ms 🟡 Proa 50ms 48-135ms 🟢 Italy-Albania 63ms 40-70ms 🔴 Jonah 115ms 4-352ms 🔴 Hawaiki Nui 1 246ms 0-434ms 🔴 PIPE Pacific Cable-1 (PPC-1) 131ms 110-333ms 🔴 Patara-2 301ms 211-410ms 🔴 Seychelles to East Africa System (SEAS) 256ms 68-456ms 🔴 North-West Cable System 296ms 205-390ms 🔴 Palapa Ring Middle 342ms 292-416ms 🔴 Trans Global Cable System (TGCS) 285ms 208-380ms 🟡 Caribbean-Bermuda U.S. (CBUS) 71ms 63-133ms 🟡 Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1) 298ms 271-347ms
🏆 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
Hat Island, WA, United States Pan-American Crossing (PAC) · 10,000 km Tahuna, Indonesia Far East Submarine Cable System · 1,855 km ARSAT Submarine Fiber Optic Cable · 40 km Americas-I North · 2,012 km St. Pierre and Miquelon Cable · 200 km Melkbosstrand, South Africa Velas, Portugal Domestic Submarine Cable of Maldives (DSCoM) · 286 km Palapa Ring Middle · 2,100 km IMEWE · 12,091 km

Recent Cable Checks

Caucasus Cable System Balchik → Poti 51ms
Mid-Atlantic Crossing (MAC) Brookhaven → St. Croix 75ms
Transworld (TW1) Al Seeb → Fujairah 12ms
Greenland Connect Landeyjar → Milton 141ms
Atlas Offshore Asilah → Marseille 64ms
Gondwana-2/Picot-2 Mont-Dore → Suva 60ms
East-West Cable (EWC) Haina → Harbour View 167ms
Unity/EAC-Pacific Chikura → Redondo Beach 120ms

Internet Health (IODA)

Russian Federation 170,885 prefixes NORMAL
India 154,820 prefixes NORMAL
Pakistan 21,079 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.

🌐 Log In

Access your routes, favorites, and API key

Create account Forgot password?

Cable Route