Every landing point of this cable has another cable within 50 km.
No alerts from our monitoring on this cable in the last 180 days. 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
427
measurements
7
probes
220
days monitored
76.0
ms avg RTT
0
anomalies
Monitored from 2026-03-09 through 2026-10-16 - live ICMP round-trip time measurements via our monitoring probes. All values below are recomputed daily from raw probe data. ✓ No anomalies detected in the monitored period.
Measurement sources
Probe
Location
Samples
Avg
Min-Max
Last seen
#55
control probe
180
56.3 ms
18.0-188.6
2026-10-16
#11576
control probe
96
35.5 ms
27.5-134.1
2026-08-18
#6427 own probe
Sydney AU
50
278.1 ms
251.8-779.4
2026-08-17
own probe
Minsk BY
50
48.0 ms
42.3-96.0
2026-08-17
own probe
Saint Petersburg RU
32
50.9 ms
46.8-60.3
2026-08-17
own probe
Kyiv UA
18
53.7 ms
48.9-67.0
2026-07-16
#33388
control probe
1
25.4 ms
25.4-25.4
2026-06-03
About the Tangerine Cable System
Tangerine: a short submarine cable linking the UK and Belgium
The Tangerine submarine cable is a 112 km fiber-optic system connecting Broadstairs in the United Kingdom to Ostend in Belgium. Owned by Colt, the cable has been listed as in service since its recorded ready-for-service (RFS) year of 2000. Its short length and direct route make it a key infrastructure component for cross-Channel connectivity, though its capacity and technological specifications are not publicly disclosed.
What stands out about Tangerine is the scarcity of detailed public information. While its route and ownership are well-documented, parameters such as design capacity, fiber pairs, and supplier remain unavailable. Additionally, the cable operates in a corridor with other systems, such as Mercator, which provides redundancy in case of outages. Live latency measurements from remote probes highlight the complexity of real-world internet routing, showing significantly higher round-trip times than the theoretical floor.
The Tangerine cable connects Broadstairs, a coastal town in southeast England, to Ostend, a prominent port city in Belgium. This short route spans the English Channel, a heavily trafficked corridor for submarine cables due to its strategic importance in linking the UK to mainland Europe. Both landing points host other cables, including Mercator, IOEMA, and Q&E North, making these locations hubs for regional connectivity.
Why it was built and what it carries
Tangerine was likely built to provide additional capacity and redundancy for data traffic between the UK and Belgium, a critical part of the broader European telecommunications network. While specific details about its design capacity and operational role are not disclosed, such cables typically support internet, voice, and data services for businesses and consumers. Given Colt's ownership, Tangerine may also serve enterprise clients requiring reliable cross-Channel connectivity.
History: what can be established
The GeoCables database records Tangerine's ready-for-service year as 2000. No conflicting dates from industry sources were identified, so this value appears reliable. However, little is publicly documented about the cable's construction, commissioning, or upgrades over time. The absence of supplier and technology information further limits historical analysis.
Capacity and technology
Publicly available data does not confirm Tangerine's design capacity, fiber pair count, or specific technological features. Without operator documentation, these parameters cannot be reliably attributed. Industry norms suggest that cables of this length and era typically use repeatered fiber-optic technology, but this remains speculative without direct evidence.
Latency: the physics
The computed theoretical latency for Tangerine's 112 km wet segment is approximately 0.5 ms one-way and 1.1 ms round-trip, assuming light propagation speeds of 200,000 to 204,000 km/s in fiber. Real-world latency, however, is influenced by additional factors such as land-based links, terminal equipment, and routing.
GeoCables live measurements show significantly higher round-trip times, with Broadstairs to Ostend ranging from a minimum of 18.0 ms to an average of 57.8 ms. These figures reflect the full internet path, including terrestrial segments and network congestion, rather than the cable alone. Similarly, Ostend to Broadstairs measurements range from 25.4 ms to an average of 36.9 ms. Longer paths, such as Minsk to Broadstairs (min 42.3 ms, avg 44.1 ms) and Sydney to Broadstairs (min 251.8 ms, avg 259.9 ms), further illustrate the complexity of global routing.
Redundancy: what happens if it breaks
In the event of a failure, redundancy is provided by other cables in the same corridor, most notably Mercator, which also lands at Broadstairs and Ostend. The presence of multiple systems reduces the risk of complete connectivity loss between the UK and Belgium. Repairs to submarine cables typically involve deploying specialized vessels to locate, retrieve, and fix the damaged segment, a process that can take days or weeks depending on weather, depth, and the nature of the fault.
Bottom line
Tangerine is a 112 km submarine cable linking Broadstairs, UK, to Ostend, Belgium.
Owned by Colt, it has been listed as in service since 2000.
Design capacity, fiber pairs, supplier, and technology are not publicly disclosed.
Computed latency for the wet segment is approximately 1.1 ms round-trip, but real-world measurements are significantly higher.
Redundancy is provided by Mercator, another cable in the same corridor.