An what we typically think of as the “Internet backbone” is actually a loose consortium of private networks. As a result, the network distance between a pair of servers or a server and a client can be much greater than their geographic distance. Furthermore, network congestion can cause traffic to be routed less directly to ensure reliable and continuous delivery rather than to minimize latency. This is why the average latency from New York City to Tokyo is more than 4 times the time it takes for light to travel between the two cities, and the average latency from New York City to Mumbai is 4-6 times.
Upgrading or repeating any cable-based infrastructure is uganda mobile database extremely expensive and difficult, especially if the goal is to minimize geographic distance. It also requires a lot of regulatorygovernment approval. Of course, it's easier to fix wireless networks. 5G certainly helps, as it shaves 20-40 milliseconds off 4G on average and promises latency as low as 1 millisecond. However, this only helps the last few hundred meters of data transmission. Once your data reaches the tower, you're back to the traditional backbone.
SpaceX’s satellite internet constellation company, Starlink, promises high-bandwidth, low-latency internet service across the United States and the rest of the world. But it doesn’t solve the problem of ultra-low latency, especially at long distances. While Starlink achieves a travel time of 18-35 milliseconds from your home to the satellite and back, that time is extended when the data must travel from New York to Los Angeles and back again. After all, it requires relaying across multiple satellites. In some cases, Starlink even exacerbates the travel distance.