Earthquake Near Sarangani, Philippines Causes Anomalies on IGG Submarine Cable
What Happened
On August 13, 2026 at 21:39 local time, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 occurred 11 km south of Sarangani, Philippines. The epicenter was located about 10 km below the ocean floor. This event drew increased attention to submarine infrastructure in the region due to its proximity to key data transmission routes.
Cables in Zone
Within a radius of 500 km from the earthquake's epicenter, several important submarine cables are located. Among them is the Indonesia Global Gateway (IGG) System (5300 km, RFS 2018), passing through Manado, Indonesia at a distance of 429.6 km. Also in the zone are Apricot (11972 km, RFS 2025), Asia Connect Cable-1 (ACC-1, 19000 km, RFS 2028), Bifrost (19888 km, RFS 2025), and SEA-US (14500 km, RFS 2017), all of which pass through a node in Davao, Philippines at a distance of 198.4 km from the epicenter. Additionally, within the zone are the Philippine Domestic Submarine Cable Network (PDSCN, 2500 km, RFS 2023) and PLDT Domestic Fiber Optic Network (DFON, 11100 km, RFS 1997), both with nodes in Cagayan de Oro and Butuan City respectively.
What Our Measurements Show
Our data detects significant anomalies on the IGG System cable. The round-trip time (RTT) has increased from its baseline value of 49.5 ms to 175.0 ms, representing an increase of 125.5 ms (4.2σ above the baseline line). This indicates possible damage or temporary malfunctions in the cable. Other cables such as Apricot, Bifrost, and SEA-US did not show significant deviations from normal, indicating the resilience of their infrastructure.
Context and Risks
The region where the earthquake occurred is a crucial node for submarine cables connecting Southeast Asia with the rest of the world. Anomalies on IGG System may lead to increased delays and traffic rerouting through alternative routes, which potentially increases load on neighboring cables. Given that such cables as Apricot and Bifrost have been recently brought into service or are planned for launch, their seismic resilience becomes a key factor in ensuring the stability of global internet traffic.
Further Monitoring
We will continue to monitor the status of the IGG System to determine whether the detected anomaly is temporary and requires operator intervention. Special attention will be given to cables Apricot and SEA-US, considering their proximity to the epicenter. Additionally, additional measurements will be conducted on other cables in the region to rule out any possible hidden damages. The monitoring results will be published as they become available.
