The Internet's Long Detour: St. Petersburg to Brazil via New York

The journey of an internet packet from Saint Petersburg (Russia) to the Asa Sul district in Brazil's Federal District turned out to be a real odyssey. Instead of covering the direct distance of 11,565 km, the signal deviated by 6,882 km, reaching New York (USA) before returning to the South American continent. This caused a significant increase in round-trip time (RTT), which reached 354 ms, almost three times the theoretical minimum of 116 ms for light traveling through fiber on a direct route. Why did this happen? Let’s find out.

Key network providers and their role

The traffic passed through 20 nodes, including major global transit operators such as Hurricane Electric (AS6939), PJSC MegaFon (AS20632), China Telecom (Europe) Ltd., and CTGNet CTE (AS23764). These companies are giants of internet infrastructure, ensuring global connectivity. Hurricane Electric, for instance, is one of the largest operators of Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) and actively provides transit services.

The main reason for such routing lies in peering arrangements and the lack of direct interconnections between networks. MegaFon, the Russian operator, handed off the traffic to the international level via Frankfurt am Main (Germany). Then, through the networks of China Telecom and CTGNet, it reached London and Marseille before arriving in New York. Hurricane Electric plays a significant role in the transit economy, offering access to its extensive routes. However, the challenge lies in the fact that instead of taking a direct path through Southern Europe and the Atlantic, the traffic was rerouted through North America, increasing latency.

Practical implications for users

For the end user, such latency can be critical. For example, in video calls, where a comfortable response time is up to 150 ms, an RTT of 354 ms results in noticeable pauses and a decline in communication quality. Online gaming also suffers: in shooters and strategy games, where instant reaction is crucial, latency exceeding 100 ms can make gameplay uncomfortable and even unfair.

Cloud services are another pain point. Imagine uploading large files or working with remote servers where every operation depends on response speed. With a threefold increase in the minimum RTT, a user in Asa Sul would have to wait much longer for tasks to be completed.

For algorithmic trading, where decision-making speed is critical, such delays could cost millions of dollars when operating in global markets.

Infrastructure context: why does regional traffic go "off course"?

The routing issue in this case is linked to the lack of optimal direct interconnections between networks. Direct cables connecting Russia and Brazil through Europe and the Atlantic could significantly reduce response time, but the current operators' infrastructure and their peering agreements force traffic to take winding paths.

Submarine cable landing points play a crucial role in routing: for instance, cables often connect major hubs in Europe (Frankfurt, Marseille) and the USA (New York) before reaching South America. This explains why New York became a key point in the route, despite its distance from the direct line.

Real events: influence or coincidence?

GeoCables monitoring tracks and analyzes events that could impact routes. Recent floods in Estonia (331 km from the route, 2026-07-11) and Brazil (386 km, 2026-10-09) provide a vivid picture of the region. However, GeoCables data shows that the route deviation is solely related to routing and peering specifics, not these natural events.

While these events are significant for local infrastructure, they did not affect key nodes on the route, such as Saint Petersburg, Frankfurt, or New York. Therefore, the reason for the detour lies in network configurations, not external catastrophes.

Conclusions and challenges

The case of the route from Saint Petersburg to Asa Sul is a vivid illustration of the complexities of global internet infrastructure. While modern transit operators like Hurricane Electric provide connectivity over vast distances, they also face challenges in optimizing routes. Delays caused by detours through New York highlight the need for improved peering and direct interconnections.

For users, this means that service quality can vary depending on routing, especially over long distances. GeoCables continues its monitoring, uncovering the hidden aspects of the global internet to help us understand and improve its performance.