Georgia to Hong Kong in 214ms: The Route That Skips the USA
Georgia to Hong Kong in 214ms — no US detour, no Pacific crossing. Just eleven hops from Tbilisi to one of Asia's most important internet hubs. This route stands out in our database as a rare example of genuinely efficient intercontinental routing.
| Hop | Location | Network | RTT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–6 | Tbilisi, GE | JSC Global Erty (AS34666) | 26ms |
| 7–9 | Sofia, BG | Level 3 (AS3356) | 48ms |
| 10 | (timeout) | — | — |
| 11 | Hong Kong, HK | IPTP LTD (AS41095) | 213ms |
Sofia to Hong Kong in a single visible jump — 165ms covering roughly 8,500km. No Ashburn, no San Jose, no transpacific detour. Level 3 carries the packet directly from Europe to Asia.
Why This Route Is Unusual
Most routes in our database from the Caucasus to Asia go west before going east — through Paris, across the Atlantic, through the US, and only then across the Pacific. The Georgia → Japan route takes 273ms and crosses three oceans. The Georgia → Philippines route takes 321ms via Los Angeles.
Georgia to Hong Kong takes 214ms and crosses one ocean.
The difference is Hong Kong's position in the global internet. Unlike Japan or the Philippines — which are reached primarily via US-based carriers — Hong Kong is served by a dense web of direct connections from Europe through Middle Eastern and Central Asian networks.
Level 3's Direct Path
Level 3 (now Lumen Technologies, AS3356) is one of the world's largest Tier-1 carriers. Unlike NTT, which routes all Asian traffic via its US infrastructure, Level 3 maintains direct peering with Asian networks — including IPTP LTD in Hong Kong.
The 165ms Sofia–Hong Kong RTT is consistent with a direct fiber path through Central Asia or the Middle East — likely using the FLAG Europe-Asia (FEA) cable or a terrestrial route through Russia and China. At the speed of light in fiber, 8,500km should take about 43ms minimum. The actual 165ms reflects routing overhead and multiple network handoffs along the way — but no unnecessary ocean crossings.
Hong Kong: Asia's Internet Crossroads
Hong Kong is not just a city — it is the internet gateway for much of East and Southeast Asia:
HKIX (Hong Kong Internet Exchange) is one of the largest IXPs in Asia by traffic volume, connecting hundreds of networks from China, Southeast Asia, and the wider Pacific.
Submarine cable hub: Hong Kong is the landing point for over 10 major submarine cables including AAE-1, EAC-C2C, APG, and SMW-3 — connecting to China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
China gateway: All international internet traffic entering and leaving mainland China passes through three exchange points — Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Hong Kong, just across the border, acts as the primary staging point for traffic entering this system.
The IPTP LTD Endpoint
Our measurement target — IPTP LTD (AS41095) — is an international carrier operating data centers and network infrastructure in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Amsterdam. It is the RIPE Atlas probe we use as a measurement target for Hong Kong, chosen specifically because it responds reliably to traceroute probes — unlike many Hong Kong IPs that block ICMP.
What This Tells Us About Routing
The contrast between Georgia → Hong Kong (214ms, direct) and Georgia → Japan (273ms, via USA) illustrates a fundamental truth about internet routing: it is shaped by commercial relationships, not geography.
Hong Kong benefits from its role as a neutral trading hub — carriers from China, Europe, the US, and Southeast Asia all maintain direct connections there. Japan is served primarily by Japanese carriers with Japan-centric architectures. The result: Hong Kong is easier to reach from Georgia than Tokyo, despite being further away on the map.
Monitoring Status
- Current RTT: 214ms | Carrier: Level 3 → IPTP LTD
- Path: Tbilisi → Sofia → (direct) → Hong Kong
- Notable: No US transit — one of the most direct intercontinental routes in our database