Global Internet Routes: Why Traffic Takes the Long Way Around
Imagine this: your internet packet, sent from Cape Town, South Africa, to Cayenne, French Guiana, travels a route 7,037 km longer than the direct distance of 8,566 km, reaching Manchester, United Kingdom, before heading back. This route, recorded by GeoCables on July 12, 2026, demonstrates how the complex structure of the global internet can impact latency and connection quality, even when the endpoints seem relatively close.
Why does traffic pass through key transit networks?
One reason for such a detour is the use of major global transit operators like Zayo Bandwidth (AS6461) and ParadoxNetworks Limited (AS52025). These companies act as the "highways" of the internet, connecting local networks such as Xneelo (Pty) Ltd in Cape Town (AS37153) and WAYSCOM in Cayenne (AS27806). However, the lack of direct interconnections between networks and the economic logic of routing force the packet to travel through numerous intermediate nodes.
Manchester, United Kingdom, became a key point in the route, likely due to the high concentration of peering agreements and the presence of a major Zayo Bandwidth hub. The packet then traveled to the United States, passing through cities such as Ashburn, Kansas City, Atlanta and Blaine, before reaching its final destination. Submarine cable landing points and economic considerations for transit often make routes more complex than one might expect.
Practical implications for the user
The main issue with such a detour is latency. In this case, the latency was 328 milliseconds (RTT), nearly four times the minimum possible value of 86 milliseconds if the packet had traveled directly. For the user, this can have significant consequences:
- Video calls: Latency above 250 ms can cause noticeable pauses and echo, making real-time communication challenging.
- Online gaming: Players, especially in shooters and strategy games, may experience response delays, making gameplay less smooth and competitive.
- Financial trading: For traders, every millisecond can be critical, especially in high-frequency trading.
- Cloud services: High latency can slow down file uploads, data synchronization and the performance of web applications.
Infrastructure context: why traffic "goes the wrong way"
At first glance, it might seem strange that traffic between two points in the South Atlantic is routed through Europe and North America. This is due to several infrastructure factors:
- Peering agreements: Direct interconnections between regional operators are either lacking or underdeveloped.
- Transit economics: Major backbone operators like Zayo Bandwidth offer cost-effective routes through their networks, even if they are geographically suboptimal.
- Cable landing points: South Africa and French Guiana lack a direct submarine cable, forcing traffic to pass through other continents.
Real-world events: contextual impact
Amid this routing scenario, GeoCables recorded a green alert for flooding in South Africa, approximately 593 km from Cape Town, on June 5, 2026. While this event could have caused local network disruptions, our data shows that the detour was solely due to routing and not external factors.
This case highlights how important it is for operators and users to understand the global internet infrastructure. GeoCables continues to monitor such routes, helping to identify bottlenecks and optimize paths to improve connection quality.
