The 9,799 km Digital Detour: Internet Routing from Almaty to Apia

The journey of an internet packet from Almaty, Kazakhstan, to Apia, Samoa turned into a true digital detour, crossing several continents and deviating 9,799 km from the direct route! Instead of following the shortest path of 12,776 km, the route took the packet through Lincoln, USA, and other points before reaching its final destination. This route highlights the complex mechanisms of global routing, reliance on transit operators, and the economics of peering.

Providers and infrastructure shaping the route

Three key networks played the most active role in routing: Signal Telecom (AS60930) in Kazakhstan, Cogent Communications (AS174) in the USA, and Vodafone Samoa (AS17993) in Samoa. Signal Telecom is a local operator providing internet services in Almaty and collaborating with international partners for traffic transmission. Cogent Communications is one of the largest transit operators globally, known for its extensive network of peering points. The packet traveled through their infrastructure via Manchester, Lincoln, Mill Creek, and Seattle in the USA. Finally, Vodafone Samoa, the primary telecom operator in Samoa, completed the packet's delivery to Apia.

The reason for such a deviation lies in the global transit economy. Direct links between Kazakhstan and Samoa are absent, so traffic was routed through the most economically viable and accessible paths where peering between operators is already established. Submarine cable landing points, such as those in the USA, which connect the Pacific Ocean to the rest of the world, also play a crucial role.

Practical implications for users

The latency of 519 milliseconds (RTT) significantly exceeds the minimum physical "floor" of 128 ms that would have been possible with a direct route. For users, this can have serious consequences:

• Video calls: Latency exceeding 500 ms results in noticeable pauses and degraded communication quality.
• Online gaming: For most games, especially shooters and strategy games, latency above 100-150 ms makes gameplay nearly impossible.
• Cloud services: Interaction with cloud applications becomes slow, particularly when uploading large amounts of data.
• Financial trading: For traders, latency of hundreds of milliseconds can mean missed opportunities where every millisecond counts.

Infrastructure context: why traffic "goes astray"

Central Asian regions, including Kazakhstan, often face infrastructure limitations. Direct submarine cables connecting this region to Pacific islands are absent. Routing is forced to go through major transit hubs such as Europe and North America. Specifically, the USA plays a key role due to its advanced cable infrastructure and numerous peering points.

The complexity of routes is further exacerbated by economic factors. Operators choose the most cost-effective paths, even if they lengthen the physical distance. This results in traffic being routed through the USA instead of taking a direct path via Asia and Oceania.

Real-world events recorded nearby

Several earthquakes were recorded along the route, but GeoCables data confirms that these natural events did not cause the digital detour:

• An earthquake of magnitude 5.1, 76 km south of Daroot-Korgon, Kyrgyzstan, 623 km from Almaty (2026-06-03).
• An earthquake of magnitude 5, 66 km east of Chayek, Kyrgyzstan, 188 km from Almaty (2026-08-12).
• An earthquake of magnitude 4.9, 124 km north of Aksu, China, 314 km from Almaty (2026-08-29).
• An earthquake of magnitude 4.9, 21 km southeast of Karakenja, Tajikistan, 629 km from Almaty (2026-07-08).
• An earthquake of magnitude 4.9, 57 km northwest of Huocheng, China, 328 km from Almaty (2026-06-04).

These events provide an interesting backdrop, but the reasons for routing lie solely in network architecture and transit economics.

Conclusion

This routing example demonstrates the complexity of global internet connections. The lack of direct links, geographical constraints, and transit economics lead to significant deviations from the shortest path. For users, this results in high latencies that impact the quality of digital services. GeoCables continues to monitor such detours, uncovering the hidden mechanisms of the global internet infrastructure.