Every landing point of this cable has another cable within 50 km.
Our alerts on this cable in the last 180 days: 1, last on 8 Jun 2026. Events feed →
Counted: other international cables landing in the same country (domestic cables between points of one country are not a way out), other cables at landing points within 50 km, and whether the country has land links. Not counted: cable capacity, operator contracts and satellite. Use as a first look at dependence, not as a statement of what would happen.
Live Performance
528
measurements
15
probes
226
days monitored
56.6
ms avg RTT
1
anomalies
Monitored from 2026-03-06 through 2026-10-19 - live ICMP round-trip time measurements via our monitoring probes. All values below are recomputed daily from raw probe data.
Measurement sources
Probe
Location
Samples
Avg
Min-Max
Last seen
#33205
control probe
298
26.0 ms
10.1-71.6
2026-10-19
#6427 own probe
Sydney AU
52
255.4 ms
252.3-286.3
2026-08-17
own probe
Minsk BY
52
35.0 ms
34.4-36.0
2026-08-17
own probe
Moscow RU
46
39.0 ms
38.7-41.0
2026-06-09
#37
control probe
41
38.0 ms
23.6-202.8
2026-08-30
#6410 own probe
Sao Paulo BR
4
202.8 ms
202.6-202.9
2026-06-09
#6487
control probe
4
161.8 ms
161.7-162.0
2026-06-09
#7062
control probe
4
150.3 ms
148.1-152.6
2026-06-09
own probe
Almaty KZ
4
88.7 ms
88.6-88.8
2026-06-09
own probe
Tbilisi GE
4
62.6 ms
62.5-62.6
2026-06-09
own probe
Jerusalem IL
4
61.9 ms
61.8-62.1
2026-06-09
own probe
Saint Petersburg RU
4
49.6 ms
47.1-52.2
2026-08-17
own probe
Odessa UA
4
41.2 ms
40.9-41.6
2026-06-09
own probe
Balancer IL
4
61.4 ms
61.2-61.6
2026-06-09
own probe
Kyiv UA
3
56.9 ms
54.0-61.9
2026-06-23
About the Circe North Cable System
Circe North: a short trans-North Sea submarine cable
Circe North is a submarine cable connecting Lowestoft in the United Kingdom to Zandvoort in the Netherlands, spanning a relatively short distance of 203 kilometers across the North Sea. It has been in service since 1999, according to GeoCables database records, and is currently owned by Zayo and euNetworks. While its design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, and underlying technology are not publicly disclosed, the cable is part of a busy corridor with multiple alternatives and landing points.
What makes Circe North notable is its role in providing connectivity between the UK and continental Europe through a direct route. However, there are uncertainties surrounding its technical specifications and performance metrics, as well as discrepancies between theoretical latency calculations and real-world measurements.
Quick facts
Name
Circe North
Length
203 km
Ready-for-service year
1999 (GeoCables database value; no conflicting sources identified)
Circe North connects Lowestoft on the eastern coast of England to Zandvoort, a coastal town in the Netherlands. Both locations are established landing points for submarine cables, with Lowestoft hosting cables such as IOEMA, Scylla, Tampnet South, Ulysses 2, and Zeus, while Zandvoort serves as a landing site for Concerto and Zeus. The cable spans the North Sea, a relatively shallow body of water, which simplifies cable-laying operations compared to deeper oceanic routes.
Why it was built and what it carries
Circe North was likely built to provide direct connectivity between the UK and the Netherlands, supporting data traffic between two major European economies. It serves as part of the broader infrastructure enabling international telecommunications, data exchange, and internet connectivity. While specific details about its traffic or capacity are not disclosed, its relatively short length suggests it is optimized for low-latency communications.
History: what can be established
Circe North was recorded as ready for service in 1999, according to GeoCables database records. No conflicting information about its RFS year has been identified in publicly available sources. It remains listed as in service, and ownership has been attributed to Zayo and euNetworks, two companies with significant stakes in European and global telecom infrastructure.
Capacity and technology
The design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, and specific technology used in Circe North are not publicly disclosed. Without operator documentation, it cannot be stated whether the cable has undergone upgrades since its initial deployment or what its current capacity might be. This lack of transparency is not uncommon for older cables, especially those serving regional routes rather than intercontinental ones.
Latency: the physics
Theoretical calculations based on the cable's length of 203 kilometers suggest a one-way light propagation latency of approximately 1.0 milliseconds, with a round-trip time (RTT) floor of about 2.0 milliseconds. However, real-world latency measurements from remote probes show significantly higher values. For example, the minimum observed RTT between Lowestoft and Zandvoort is 10.1 milliseconds, with an average of 25.7 milliseconds over 263 checks. These discrepancies are attributable to additional latency introduced by land tails, terminal equipment, and routing decisions in the broader internet path.
Redundancy: what happens if it breaks
In the event of a failure, connectivity between the UK and the Netherlands can rely on alternative cables in the same corridor, such as Zeus. Both Lowestoft and Zandvoort are well-connected landing points with multiple cables, reducing the risk of prolonged outages. Standard industry practices for submarine cable repair, including the use of cable ships and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), would apply to Circe North.
Bottom line
Circe North connects Lowestoft in the UK to Zandvoort in the Netherlands, spanning 203 kilometers.
It has been in service since 1999, with ownership attributed to Zayo and euNetworks.
Technical specifications such as design capacity, fiber pairs, supplier, and technology are not publicly disclosed.
Theoretical latency is approximately 2.0 ms RTT, but real-world measurements are significantly higher due to land tails and routing.
Redundancy is supported by alternative cables in the same corridor, such as Zeus.