Global Internet Traffic Detours: Why Data Took a Scenic Route in 2026

The journey of an internet packet from Cape Town (South Africa) to Sydney (Australia) was supposed to be direct and efficient, but instead, it turned into a true "world tour," reaching London (United Kingdom) before heading south to its final destination. GeoCables recorded this case on June 20, 2026, and it serves as a vivid example of how traffic routing can deviate significantly from the optimal path.

How does routing work, and why did the route take such a strange "detour"?

The key networks through which the traffic passed were: Xneelo (AS37153), a local provider in South Africa, SEACOM (AS37100), a major transit operator, and Aussie Broadband (AS4764), an Australian operator. Instead of transmitting the traffic through submarine cables connecting Africa to Australia, the data first headed north to London.

Why did this happen? The main reason is the lack of effective peering (direct connections between networks) between regional operators and major transit providers. SEACOM operates submarine cables connecting Africa to Europe, so part of the traffic goes through their landing points in London. From there, packets return to Australia, which is also tied to the economic model of transit operators: transmitting data through intermediate nodes is sometimes cheaper than using a direct route.

Practical consequences: latency and its impact on users

The resulting latency (RTT) was 428 ms, nearly four times the theoretical minimum of 117 ms if the signal had traveled via a direct submarine route. For the average user, this means noticeable inconveniences. For example:

• Video calls: With a latency of 428 ms, video conversations become challenging, especially if both parties try to speak simultaneously.
• Online gaming: For gamers, such a ping essentially makes competitive gameplay impossible, as most games require latency below 100 ms for a smooth experience.
• Financial trading: High-frequency traders, who rely on instant system responses, would lose valuable time, potentially leading to losses.
• Cloud services: Slow data uploads or delays in accessing cloud applications can significantly hinder productivity.

Infrastructure context: why regional traffic "goes astray"

South Africa and Australia are relatively close to each other on a global scale, and several submarine cables connect them. However, the lack of direct peering between networks in these regions results in data being transmitted via more economically favorable routes. This is a typical issue in regional infrastructure, where operators prefer to use major hubs like London instead of investing in new direct connections.

It is worth noting that in this case, the real reason for the detour was routing specifics, not external events. For instance, flooding in Belgium on June 23, 2026, was recorded 367 kilometers away from the route and did not affect the traffic. Similarly, flooding in South Africa on June 5 occurred 593 kilometers from Cape Town and was also unrelated to the route deviation.

What can we learn from such cases?

This example highlights the need to improve global internet infrastructure. As society becomes increasingly dependent on cloud services, video conferencing, and other internet-based tools, such delays are becoming less acceptable. GeoCables continues to monitor routes to identify network bottlenecks and provide data that can help operators enhance peering and routing.

Ultimately, developing direct connections between regions, such as Africa and Australia, can significantly reduce latency, improve service quality, and make the internet faster and more reliable for all users.