Cogent vs NTT: Two Carriers, Two Philosophies, Two Paths to Asia
In our measurement database, two carriers dominate the routes from Georgia and Belarus to Asia: NTT America (AS2914) and Cogent Communications (AS174). Both are Tier-1 global carriers. Both can reach any destination on Earth. But they route traffic in completely opposite ways — and the difference shows up clearly in our traceroutes.
NTT sends everything through the United States. Cogent goes directly through Europe and Asia. Same origin, same destination, completely different path.
The Two Routes Side by Side
NTT route (Georgia → Philippines, 321ms):
| Hop | Location | RTT |
|---|---|---|
| Sofia, BG | NTT entry point | 25ms |
| Milan, IT | NTT Europe | 50ms |
| Paris, FR | NTT Europe hub | 259ms* |
| Ashburn, US | NTT US East | 146ms |
| San Jose, US | NTT US West | 202ms |
| Osaka, JP | NTT Pacific landing | 319ms |
| Manila, PH | Destination | 321ms |
Cogent route (Georgia → Samoa, 387ms):
| Hop | Location | RTT |
|---|---|---|
| Belgrade, RS | Cogent entry point | 37ms |
| Milan, IT | Cogent Europe | 54ms |
| Marseille, FR | Cogent Mediterranean hub | 63ms |
| Singapore, SG | Cogent Asia hub | 209ms |
| Perth, AU | Cogent Australia | 263ms |
| Sydney, AU | Cogent Australia East | 298ms |
*Paris RTT anomaly explained in our NTT article — actual forwarding delay is ~30ms.
NTT crosses three oceans. Cogent crosses one and a half. For destinations in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Cogent's architecture is simply more direct.
Why Cogent Goes Through Marseille
Cogent's Mediterranean hub in Marseille is not accidental. Marseille is the landing point for more submarine cables than almost any other city in Europe — including SEA-ME-WE 4, SEA-ME-WE 5, AAE-1, SEACOM, and 2Africa. By concentrating its European traffic hub in Marseille, Cogent can hand off to Asian submarine cables without routing through Northern Europe or the Atlantic.
The Marseille–Singapore jump in our traceroute (63ms → 209ms, a 146ms increase) represents the Indian Ocean crossing — most likely via SEA-ME-WE 5 or AAE-1, both of which have Cogent as a peering partner at their European landing points.
Why NTT Goes Through Ashburn
As we explained in our NTT analysis, NTT's transpacific cables all land in the United States. To use its own infrastructure for Asia, NTT must first cross the Atlantic. Ashburn, Virginia — the world's largest internet exchange — is where NTT aggregates all its US and European traffic before sending it west to San Jose and across the Pacific.
For NTT, Ashburn is not a detour. It is the architecture.
Which Is Better?
For destinations in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Cogent's direct routing is measurably faster:
- Georgia → Singapore: Cogent ~209ms vs NTT ~200ms (comparable — NTT has direct Singapore peering too)
- Georgia → Australia: Cogent ~298ms vs NTT would be ~320ms+ via US
- Georgia → Pacific islands: Cogent ~387ms vs NTT would be ~400ms+ via US
For destinations in Japan and Northeast Asia, NTT's transpacific cables give it an edge — NTT owns the cables directly to Japan, while Cogent must peer with Japanese carriers.
The real answer: neither is universally better. Each carrier's architecture reflects its history and its primary customer base. NTT was built for Japanese corporations. Cogent was built for neutral global transit. Both serve their purpose.
What This Means for Your Traffic
If you are in the Caucasus region and connecting to:
- Southeast Asia, Australia, Pacific islands — you are better served by carriers using Cogent's Marseille-Singapore corridor
- Japan, South Korea, Taiwan — you are better served by NTT's transpacific infrastructure
- China — neither applies directly; Chinese traffic follows its own paths through Russia or Central Asia
The carrier your ISP uses determines which path your traffic takes — and you usually have no say in the matter. But understanding the architecture helps explain why your ping to Singapore might be 209ms while your ping to Tokyo is 319ms, even though Tokyo is geographically closer to Tbilisi.
Monitoring Status
GeoCables continuously measures routes via both carriers from our probes in Minsk, Almaty, and Tbilisi. Current observations:
- Cogent routes: Tbilisi → Samoa 387ms, Tbilisi → Tonga 995ms (unstable final mile)
- NTT routes: Tbilisi → Philippines 321ms, Tbilisi → Indonesia 318ms, Belarus → Japan 273ms
- Key difference: Cogent reaches Asia in 209ms from Marseille; NTT reaches Asia in 319ms from San Jose
Related articles: Why NTT Routes All Asian Traffic Through the USA → · Georgia → Philippines →