Why Internet Traffic from Jerusalem to Tokyo Detours via London
When a user from Jerusalem, Israel, sends a request to a server in Tokyo, Japan, they expect the data packet to travel the shortest possible distance: 8,899 km, according to the direct geodesic line. However, GeoCables measurements show that the route deviates by as much as 3,555 km from this line, reaching London, United Kingdom, before heading back to Japan. The resulting circular route increases the round-trip time (RTT) to 1,937 ms, which is 22 times higher than the theoretical minimum delay of 89 ms if the signal traveled directly.
Why does the route pass through London?
The main reason for such a deviation lies in the routing characteristics of the global network. The data packet passes through several autonomous systems (AS), each owned by major transit operators or local providers. On the route from Jerusalem to Tokyo, the following networks are involved:
- AS51825 TELZAR-ASN (Telzar 019 International Telecommunications Services LTD, IL): a local operator in Israel that transfers traffic to international transit partners.
- AS201011 CORE-BACKBONE (Core-Backbone GmbH, DE): a German transit operator providing connectivity to European nodes.
- AS6461 Zayo Bandwidth (ZAYO-6461, US): one of the largest global transit operators specializing in high-speed backbones.
- AS20940 AKAMAI-ASN1 (Akamai International B.V., NL): a content delivery network (CDN) optimizing access to servers in different regions.
The route through London is due to the lack of direct peering connections between Israel and Japan, as well as the economic considerations of transit operators. London is a key hub of the global internet where many operators exchange traffic. Traffic from the region is often routed through European nodes, even when the destination is in Asia.
Practical implications for users
A delay of 1,937 ms can significantly impact the quality of internet services:
- Video calls: Delays exceeding 300-400 ms lead to noticeable pauses and degraded audio-video synchronization. In this case, users will experience constant "echoes" and communication difficulties.
- Online gaming: For most games, especially shooters and real-time strategy games, delays exceeding 100 ms make gameplay nearly impossible. An RTT of 1,937 ms eliminates any chance of competitive play.
- Cloud services: Working with cloud applications like Google Drive or Microsoft Teams becomes slower, making file uploads and editing extremely inconvenient.
- Financial trading: For traders and financial operations, delays of this magnitude mean lost time and potential opportunities, especially in high-frequency trading.
Infrastructure context: why does regional traffic go "off course"?
An important factor is Israel's geographical location, which makes it dependent on international backbone cables passing through the Mediterranean Sea and Europe. While there are routes through Asia, they are less developed, leading to economic reliance on European transit nodes. In this case, the traffic is first directed to London and only then returns to Japan, as this is the most cost-effective option for operators.
Additionally, the lack of major peering hubs between Middle Eastern and East Asian countries increases the necessity of using European exchange centers.
Real-world events near the route
For a complete context, it is important to note recent natural events recorded by GeoCables near the route:
- M5 earthquake 36 km northeast of Suez, Egypt, on 2026-08-03 (~288 km from the route).
- Flooding in Turkey (green level) on 2026-10-14 (~534 km from the route).
- Flooding in Cyprus (green level) on 2026-09-20 (~338 km from the route).
- Flooding in Lebanon (green level) on 2026-08-31 (~279 km from the route).
- M6.8 earthquake in Japan, near Uto, on 2026-07-28 (~496 km from the route).
However, GeoCables data clearly shows that the delay is not related to these events. The main factors are routing and transit economics, not external catastrophes.
