When Data Takes a Detour: The Hidden Routes of Global Internet Traffic

When data routes start to "meander," their path turns into a true detective story. For example, a recent case recorded by GeoCables: data from Almaty, Kazakhstan, traveling to Suva, Fiji, covered not just 12,296 km in a straight line but made an impressive detour through Paris, France, deviating 5,553 km from the shortest route. The result: a delay of 452 milliseconds (RTT), which is nearly four times the theoretical minimum of ~123 ms for light traveling through fiber optics over such a distance.

Why is the route so convoluted?

On the path of the packets, there were four key autonomous systems (AS):

• AS60930 Signal Telecom LLP, a local provider in Almaty, the starting point of the route.
• AS1299 Arelion Sweden AB, one of the world's largest transit operators based in Europe. Arelion (formerly Telia Carrier) provides high-speed backbone connections and often serves as the "core network" for regional providers like Signal Telecom.
• AS7575 Australian Academic and Research Network (AARNet), a specialized network serving Australian educational and research institutions. It acts as a transitional hub for traffic in the Pacific region.
• AS24390 The University of the South Pacific, a network serving the university campus in Suva, the destination of the route.

Why did the data pass through Paris? The reason lies in peering limitations (mutual traffic exchange between networks) and transit economics. If a local provider like Signal Telecom lacks direct connections with operators in the South Pacific region, traffic is routed through larger transit networks such as Arelion. These networks typically direct data through their main hubs, in this case, Paris.

Practical implications for users

For end users, a delay of 452 ms can lead to significant inconveniences:

• Video calls: Delays exceeding 300 ms result in an "echo" effect and hinder natural conversation. Users will notice awkward pauses and interruptions.
• Online gaming: For gamers, even 100-150 ms RTT is considered high ping. 452 ms can make gameplay virtually impossible, especially in shooters or MOBA games.
• Financial trading: Algorithmic trading requires minimal delays. With such figures, traders lose their competitive edge.
• Cloud services: Working with cloud platforms (e.g., Google Drive or Microsoft 365) becomes less convenient due to slow interface response times.

Infrastructure context: why traffic goes "off course"

Central Asian regions, including Kazakhstan, rely on a limited number of international connections. Most of these are routed through Russia or China, then onward to Europe. There are no direct submarine cables between Central Asia and the Pacific Ocean, forcing traffic to follow long terrestrial routes through Europe and Australia.

Submarine cable landing points play a crucial role. For Fiji, the main gateway is Sydney, Australia. Thus, even if traffic from Almaty could directly reach the Pacific Ocean, it would still need to pass through Australia.

Real-world events: live context

Events occurring near the route add drama, but GeoCables emphasizes: the detour is solely due to routing. For instance, several earthquakes have been recorded in the region in recent weeks:

• June 5, 2026: An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 occurred 76 km south of Daroot-Korgon, Kyrgyzstan (623 km from Almaty).
• June 4, 2026: An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.9 occurred 57 km north-northwest of Huocheng, China (328 km from Almaty).

However, despite the geographical proximity, these events did not affect routing: GeoCables records stable backbone operations.

Examples like these highlight the complexity and importance of global internet infrastructure. GeoCables continues its monitoring to help operators and users understand these hidden mechanisms.