SEA-ME-WE 5: The Internet Highway Between Asia and Europe
SEA-ME-WE 5: The Internet Highway Between Asia and Europe
Cable profile based on GeoCables monitoring data — 180 health checks recorded SEA-ME-WE 5 (South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 5) is one of the most strategically important submarine cables on Earth. Its 20,000km route from Singapore to France carries a significant portion of all internet traffic between Asia and Europe — two of the world's largest economic blocs. GeoCables has recorded 180 health checks on this cable, making it one of our most monitored systems.The Route: Singapore to Marseille in 18 Hops
SEA-ME-WE 5 follows the ancient maritime Silk Road — the same route used by spice traders for centuries, now carrying digital packets: Singapore → Malaysia (Mersing) → Myanmar (Pyapon) → Bangladesh (Cox's Bazar) → Sri Lanka (Colombo) → India (Mumbai) → Pakistan (Karachi) → Oman (Salalah) → UAE (Fujairah) → Saudi Arabia (Jeddah) → Djibouti → Yemen (Al Hudaydah) → Egypt (Zafarana) → Turkey (Marmaris) → Italy (Palermo) → France (Marseille) 18 landing points across 16 countries. The cable traverses the Strait of Malacca, the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal approaches, and the Mediterranean.The Chokepoints
SEA-ME-WE 5 passes through three of the world's most critical — and vulnerable — maritime chokepoints: 1. Strait of Malacca (Singapore/Malaysia): The narrowest point, just 2.8km wide at its minimum. Over 25% of world trade passes through here, along with a large share of Asia-Europe submarine cable traffic. Multiple cables share this corridor. 2. The Red Sea / Bab-el-Mandeb Strait: In late 2023 and 2024, Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea created real concerns about submarine cable safety. Several cables in this region were damaged in early 2024, causing measurable increases in Asia-Europe latency. 3. Suez Canal approaches: Egypt's position as the gateway between the Red Sea and Mediterranean makes it the most critical country for Asia-Europe cable routing. At least 17 major submarine cables pass through Egyptian waters.Capacity and Technology
SEA-ME-WE 5 uses 100 Gbps wavelength technology with a design capacity of approximately 24 Tbps. This was state-of-the-art when the cable entered service in 2016, but is now being supplemented by its successor, SEA-ME-WE 6 (19,200km, 100+ Tbps design capacity), which follows a similar route with upgraded technology.GeoCables Monitoring Results
Our 180 health checks on SEA-ME-WE 5 focus on key segments: - Singapore → Oman (Salalah): ~80ms — consistent with the 6,400km Indian Ocean segment - Oman → Egypt: ~30ms — Red Sea transit - Egypt → France (Marseille): ~45ms — Mediterranean crossing Total Singapore → Marseille propagation: approximately 100ms theoretical minimum. Real-world RTT including routing overhead: 120–140ms.Why SEA-ME-WE 5 Matters for Your Connection
If you're in Southeast Asia connecting to European servers, or in Europe connecting to Asian services, there's a significant chance your traffic passes through SEA-ME-WE 5. It is one of approximately 6 cables serving the Asia-Europe corridor, alongside AAE-1, FLAG FEA, SEA-ME-WE 4/6, and PEACE Cable. A fault on SEA-ME-WE 5 — as has happened multiple times in the Red Sea and Egyptian coastal waters — causes measurable latency increases for hundreds of millions of users simultaneously.GeoCables monitors SEA-ME-WE 5 with 180 recorded health checks. View real-time status →