Submarine Cable Insights
Data-driven analysis of global internet routing, submarine cable performance, and network anomalies — based on real measurements.
North Korea: The Ping That Never Returns
North Korea's entire international internet is 1,024 IPs in 4 /24 blocks on one ASN (Star JV). On 23 April 2026 we fired 60 pings from 15 global probes at KP targets. Zero answered. Yet kcna.kp returns HTTP 200 in 540ms. ICMP is walled off at a Hong Kong node inside China Unicom.
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and the Empty Caspian Seafloor
Five countries touch the Caspian. Zero submarine cables sit on its floor. On 23 April 2026 we ran nine traceroutes between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Every single packet went through Russia. The Trans-Caspian Fiber Optic Cable changes this in Q3 2026.
Turkmenistan's Entire Internet Runs Through Three Foreign IPs
Turkmenistan, a country of 6 million with four land neighbors, connects to the global internet through exactly three router IP addresses in three foreign operators. We ran 31 traceroutes on 21 April 2026. Iran reaches its neighbor via Istanbul — or Frankfurt. There is no third door.
Gibraltar's Submarine Cable: One Landing at the World's Busiest Strait
Gibraltar sits at one of the world's busiest maritime chokepoints — about 300 ships a day cross the strait. Yet only one submarine cable — the 15,000 km Europe India Gateway — actually lands on the Rock. Seven others cross the same strait without stopping. Why a chokepoint isn't always a hub.
507 Milliseconds From Minsk to Rarotonga: A Packet's Journey Through Moscow, Vienna, Los Angeles, and Tahiti
Our monitor shows a Minsk-to-Cook-Islands packet averaging 507 ms — a journey across Belarus, Russia, Austria, the US, French Polynesia, and finally Rarotonga. Here is what the traceroute tells us about how the internet is actually routed.
When Typhoon Sinlaku Made a 200-km Cable Take a 12,000-km Detour: Anatomy of a BGP Reroute During a Cat-5 Storm
On April 14, 2026, RTT from Saipan to Guam spiked 13× as Cat-5 Sinlaku made landfall. The Mariana-Guam cable was fine — a local BGP peering fell, sending traffic on a 12,000-km detour via Los Angeles. Live anatomy with RIPE Atlas and BGP evidence.
Maroc Telecom's Private Cable: One Owner, Six Landings, and an 8,600 km Corporate Backbone
Maroc Telecom owns a 8,600 km submarine cable connecting Casablanca to four West African countries. Real RIPE Atlas trace: Casablanca to Libreville in 86 ms, 1.025x of physics floor.
Iran's Internet Map: 7 Landing Stations, 6 Cables, and a 175 ms Trip to Next-Door Kuwait via Italy
7 submarine cable landings on two coasts, but global trunks bypass Iran. RIPE Atlas traces show Iran-Kuwait routing through Frankfurt and Milan: 175 ms for 250 km.
Indonesia: 143 Landing Points and the World's Most Complex Cable Network
Indonesia has 143 submarine cable landing points and 72 cables — 42 domestic, 30 international. How the Palapa Ring, the Batam megahub, and Big Tech investments connect 17,000 islands to the world.
Japan: 70 Landing Stations and the World s Most Earthquake-Proof Cable Network
Japan has 70 submarine cable landing stations and 50+ cables — more than any country. Our monitoring data: 18 ms to Korea, 106 ms transpacific, 300+ ms from Europe. Six alerts in 30 days, all self-resolving.
Tunisia in 70 ms: six cables and the Italian Sparkle gateway
Measured from four Geocables probes to four real Tunisian IPs on 12 April 2026: median RTT 70 ms, three of four paths run through Italian carrier Sparkle. Why Tunisia's six submarine cables are reached through one — and what Medusa 2026 changes.
1969 ms to Rarotonga: A Week of Congestion on the Manatua Cable
On April 11, 2026, a packet from Minsk to the Cook Islands took 1969 ms. Eight days of measurements show a congestion pattern on the Manatua cable that our monitor never flagged — because it lives past the landing point, inside the only network serving 17,500 people on fifteen islands.
368ms to Dodge a War: How Red Sea Cable Cuts Reroute the Internet
Red Sea submarine cable damage forces internet traffic on 15,000 km detours. Our traceroute measurements show Oman-Australia packets traveling 368ms via Marseille instead of 60ms direct. Real latency data from GeoCables monitoring.
Cuba: 150 km from Florida, 10,000 km to the Internet — Where Geopolitics Decides Your Ping
Cuba sits 150 km from Florida but its internet takes a 10,000 km detour through Venezuela. We monitor Cuba's only civilian submarine cable ALBA-1 every 12 hours — real latency data, route analysis, and the geopolitics of Caribbean connectivity.
Tonga: One Cable, One Volcano — How a Pacific Island Nation Lost Its Internet for 38 Days and What It Looks Like Now
Tonga had one submarine cable when a massive volcanic eruption severed it in 2022. The country was offline for 38 days. GeoCables traces the 339ms route from the Middle East through 5 submarine cables to reach this Pacific kingdom.
Jerusalem to the Cook Islands: 462ms — How Two Submarine Cables and a Tahitian Detour Connect the Middle East to the Last Pacific Nation That Got Fiber
Jerusalem to the Cook Islands in 462ms — tracing how packets cross 25,000 km via Frankfurt, Los Angeles, and Tahiti to reach the last Pacific nation that got submarine fiber in 2020.
Cape Town to Penang: 308ms — The SAFE Cable Paradox and Why All Roads Lead Through Marseille
Two traceroutes from Cape Town to Penang both detour through Europe via Marseille, ignoring the SAFE submarine cable that directly connects them. We investigate why traffic follows money, not maps.
Singapore to Tostado: 417ms — How TELXIUS Routes Southeast Asia to a Small-Town Telephone Cooperative in the Argentine Pampas
A RIPE Atlas probe in Singapore traced a route to Tostado, Argentina: 417ms through Frankfurt, Paris, Ashburn, and Buenos Aires. TELXIUS carried the packet across three continents. GeoCables analyzes how the world s largest Latin American cable operator connects Asia to the Pampas.
Harstad to Sydney: 403ms from the Arctic Circle to the Southern Hemisphere — How Arelion Routes Northern Norway Through Marseille and Singapore to Reach Australia
A RIPE Atlas probe in Harstad, Arctic Norway traced a route to Sydney: 403ms through Oslo, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Marseille, Singapore, and Perth. GeoCables analyzes how a packet crosses from 69N to 34S latitude using Arelion backbone and SEA-ME-WE cables.
Jerusalem to Tanzania: 418ms Through Djibouti — The Tiny Nation Where 10 Submarine Cables Meet 8 Military Bases
Our Jerusalem probe traced a route to Tanzania that passes through Djibouti — a country of 800,000 people with 10 submarine cables and 8 foreign military bases. GeoCables analyzes how this tiny Horn of Africa nation became the internet gateway to East Africa.
Jerusalem to Peru: 584ms — How Hurricane Electric Routes the Middle East to Latin America Through Milan, Virginia Beach, and Sao Paulo
Our Jerusalem probe traced a route to Peru: 584ms through Italy, France, Virginia Beach, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Hurricane Electric carried the packet across two oceans via its global backbone. GeoCables analyzes why Israel-to-Peru traffic detours through Brazil.
Week in Review: One Second to Taiwan, 724ms to an Island, and a Packet That Crossed Three Continents to Reach Colombia
GeoCables monitored over 695 submarine cables this week and found packets taking absurd detours: 1,021ms to Taiwan through 10 countries, 724ms to Mauritius via South Africa, 548ms Singapore to Colombia via Paris. Here are the most extreme routes of March 24-29, 2026.
Tbilisi to Mauritius: 724ms via Johannesburg — When SEACOM Takes Your Packets 15,000 km South Before Sending Them East
A packet from Tbilisi to Mauritius travels through Marseille, Johannesburg, Mombasa, and Nairobi before reaching its island destination at 724ms. GeoCables traces the SEACOM cable route and explains why the Indian Ocean has no shortcut for the Caucasus.
Singapore to Colombia: 548ms Across Three Continents — Why TELXIUS Sends Your Packets Through Paris and Virginia to Reach South America
A packet from Singapore to Colombia travels 548ms through Paris and Ashburn before landing in Medellín. Three continents, five countries, zero direct cables. GeoCables traces the route and explains why Asia and South America remain the most disconnected pair of regions on Earth.
Svalbard: How Norway Laid the World's Northernmost Cable Through Arctic Storms — And Why Someone Cut It
The Svalbard Undersea Cable System runs 1,375 km through the Greenland Sea at depths up to 2,700 meters. Laid in just 25 days during the only ice-free window, it was mysteriously severed in 2022. Now Norway is building its successor: the Arctic Way.
Antarctica: The Last Continent Without a Submarine Cable — Where Scientists Schedule Their Internet by the Hour
Antarctica remains the only continent with zero submarine cables. Scientists endure 750ms latency, 40 kbps speeds, and internet access limited to a few hours per day. Chile is now studying a 1,000 km cable that could change everything by 2034.
Nigeria to Cameroon: 502ms and Six Countries to Reach a Neighbor — When a Direct Cable Goes Unused
GeoCables traceroute reveals traffic from Nigeria to neighboring Cameroon travels through South Africa, UK, France, USA, and Brazil — despite a direct submarine cable connecting the two countries.
The Internet's Longest Detours: When Your Data Crosses 11 Countries to Reach a Neighbor
Real traceroute data from GeoCables probes reveals absurd internet routing: Georgia to Taiwan through 11 countries, Nigeria to Japan via three continents, Norway to Australia through the entire USA.
Arctic Cables: How the World's Northernmost Communities Stay Online
From Svalbard to Greenland to Russia's Northern Sea Route — how submarine cables bring internet to the Arctic. GeoCables maps the world's most extreme cable infrastructure.
September 6, 2025: The Day the Red Sea Lost Its Cables — And the Internet Survived
On September 6, 2025, multiple submarine cables were severed in the Red Sea near Jeddah. Microsoft Azure went into emergency rerouting. India, Pakistan, and the UAE lost speed. GeoCables analyzes what happened, how the internet rerouted, and what our probes see today.
Two Routes to Taiwan: Eurasia in 217ms vs America in 345ms
Two routes to Taiwan: Minsk reaches Taiwan in 217ms via Russia and China, while Tbilisi takes 345ms via the US. GeoCables traceroute analysis of TransTeleCom vs Cogent.
Equatorial Guinea: The Country Whose Internet Crosses Eight US Cities to Reach Australia
From Bata to Sydney, a packet crosses West Africa, Portugal, Spain, and eight US cities before finally reaching Australia. 542 measurements reveal how Equatorial Guinea connects to the world.
Georgia to Taiwan: 743ms Through Nine Countries — Why Cogent Sends Packets Across North America to Reach Asia's Biggest Cable Hub
Taiwan has 20+ submarine cables and direct links to every major network. Yet traffic from Georgia crosses nine countries and all of North America to get there. 551 measurements expose the paradox.
The Pacific Islands' Internet Paradox: Why Data Crosses Three Oceans to Reach Samoa
Our probes measured 866 traceroutes to Samoa — every single one crosses Europe, Singapore, and Australia before arriving. RTT swings from 381ms to 1,279ms within the same network. Here's why.
Cogent vs NTT: Two Carriers, Two Philosophies, Two Paths to Asia
NTT routes Asia traffic via the USA. Cogent goes directly through Marseille and Singapore. GeoCables compares both carriers with real traceroute data.
Samoa & Tonga: Internet at the Edge of the World
Why does latency to Tonga spike from 297ms to 995ms? How a volcanic eruption cut Tonga off the internet in 2022.
Cuba's Internet: One Cable, One Company, Zero Redundancy
Cuba has one submarine cable — ALBA-1 to Venezuela. Our traceroute from Georgia shows traffic reaching Cuba via São Paulo, Brazil.
Georgia to Hong Kong in 214ms: The Route That Skips the USA
Georgia to Hong Kong in 214ms via Level 3 — no US transit, no Pacific crossing. Why Hong Kong is easier to reach from Tbilisi than Tokyo.
Why NTT Sends All Asian Traffic Through the USA: The Transpacific Paradox
Why does NTT America route traffic from Georgia and Belarus to Japan through Paris, Ashburn, and San Jose? GeoCables analysis reveals the transpacific paradox.
Sri Lanka to Mauritius: 255ms via Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and TATA's Indian Ocean Backbone
Sri Lanka to Mauritius traceroute: 255ms via Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. How TATA Communications routes Indian Ocean traffic through its Singapore hub — and why AfriNIC makes Mauritius Africa's internet capital.
Australia–Singapore Submarine Cables: The Complete Guide
Which submarine cables connect Australia to Singapore? Complete guide to ASC, INDIGO-West, ACC-1, and Hawaiki Nui 1 — routes, landing points, latency, and capacity.
Georgia to Indonesia: 318ms the Long Way — Why NTT Sends Asian Traffic Through America
Georgia to Indonesia: 318ms via the USA instead of the Middle East. Why NTT America routes Southeast Asian traffic through Ashburn and San Jose — and what a direct path would look like.
Belarus to Japan: 273ms via Tallinn and NTT's Transpacific Highway
Belarus to Japan in 273ms: NTT America carries the packet from Frankfurt to Osaka through Paris, Ashburn, and San Jose. Three oceans, one carrier — how NTT's transpacific backbone works.
Belarus to China in 181ms: Faster Than You'd Expect Through Frankfurt
Belarus to China in 181ms — the fastest route in our database, via Frankfurt and China Unicom's trans-Eurasian backbone. How Belt and Road digital infrastructure shapes routing between Europe and China.
Belarus to Qatar: 409ms and Then Silence — The Most Opaque Route in Our Database
Belarus to Qatar traceroute: 409ms with 247 invisible hops after Warsaw. Why Qatar's network goes completely dark to traceroute — and what the 399ms gap reveals about Gulf internet infrastructure.
Georgia to Egypt: 202ms via Mombasa and Mauritius — The Backwards African Route
Georgia to Egypt traceroute: 202ms via Marseille, Mombasa, Nairobi, and Mauritius. How SEACOM cable routing sends traffic 18,000km to reach a destination 1,500km away.
Singapore to Colombia: 292ms via Paris and Miami — The Latin America Problem
Why does Singapore's internet reach Colombia via Paris and Miami? Real traceroute reveals the 292ms path and explains why Miami is the internet capital of Latin America.
Georgia to Philippines: 321ms the Wrong Way Around — Through the USA
Why does internet traffic from Georgia reach the Philippines via the USA? NTT's backbone routes 321ms through Paris, Ashburn, and San Jose — 28,000km for a 6,500km destination.
Georgia to French Polynesia: 298ms Through Honolulu to Tahiti
Why does internet traffic from Georgia reach French Polynesia via Hawaii? Real traceroute data explains the 298ms path and the Honotua submarine cable connecting Tahiti to the world.
Belarus to New Zealand: 311ms to the World's Most Remote Internet Hub
How does Belarus reach New Zealand's most remote internet hub in 311ms? Traceroute shows 5 invisible hops — the submarine cable journey from Moscow to Auckland.
Belarus to South Korea in 200ms: The Fastest Route Through Moscow and Hong Kong
How does Belarus reach South Korea in just 200ms? Traceroute reveals a surprisingly efficient path via Moscow's trans-Siberian fiber and Hong Kong to Seoul.
Georgia to Fiji: How a Pacific Island Gets Its Internet via London
Why does internet traffic from Georgia reach Fiji via London? Real traceroute shows a 370ms path through 3 continents and the Southern Cross submarine cable.
The Longest Route We've Ever Measured: Oman to Chile at 452ms
Why does internet traffic from Oman to Chile travel 35,000 km through Singapore, Japan, and the USA? Real traceroute data reveals the longest route in our database at 452ms.
Why Does Internet Traffic from Kazakhstan to Indonesia Go Through London and San Jose?
A data-driven analysis of the 334ms routing anomaly between Almaty and Jakarta — why internet traffic from landlocked Kazakhstan travels through London and San Jose to reach Indonesia.
Why Landlocked Countries Have Terrible Internet: The Physics of Connectivity
Why do landlocked countries like Kazakhstan and Belarus have higher internet latency? Real RIPE Atlas data shows the 2-3x overhead of routing through transit countries to reach submarine cables.
Baltic Sea Cable Sabotage 2024–2025: When Ships Became Weapons
How use ships to cut Baltic Sea submarine cables in 2024–2025? GeoCables analysis of the sabotage incidents, routing impact, and NATO's Baltic Sentry response.
Red Sea Cable Cuts 2024: How Houthi Attacks Rerouted the Internet
How did Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping damage 4 submarine cables in 2024? GeoCables analysis of the routing impact, latency changes, and why the Red Sea cannot be avoided.
GlobeNet: The Transatlantic Cable Powering Latin America's Financial Networks
GlobeNet: the 23,500km submarine cable built for financial markets connecting Wall Street to São Paulo. How low-latency trading shaped cable route decisions between the US and Latin America.
Hawaiki Cable: New Zealand and Australia's Pacific Lifeline
Hawaiki cable: 15,000km transpacific link connecting New Zealand and Australia to the US West Coast. How the 2022 Tonga volcanic eruption tested Pacific cable resilience.
APCN-2: The Backbone of Intra-Asian Internet
APCN-2: the 19,000km ring cable connecting 8 Asian countries. GeoCables monitoring data, Taiwan earthquake vulnerability analysis, and why a 20-year-old cable still carries critical traffic.
SEA-ME-WE 5: The Internet Highway Between Asia and Europe
SEA-ME-WE 5: the 20,000km submarine cable connecting Singapore to France via the Middle East. GeoCables monitoring data, chokepoints analysis, and real RTT measurements.
2Africa: The World's Longest Submarine Cable at 45,000km
2Africa at 45,000km is the world's longest submarine cable, circumnavigating Africa and connecting 33 countries. GeoCables monitors 450 segments. Full profile with route, owners, and capacity data.