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AWS Global Network Backbone - How Private Submarine Cables and 600+ PoPs Deliver Superior Connectivity

Explore the advantages of AWS's global network built on private submarine cables, dedicated fiber, and 600+ edge locations, compared with GCP's Premium Tier and Azure's network design.

About 6 min read

Cloud Performance Is Determined by the Network

When discussing cloud service performance, computing and storage tend to get the most attention, but it is the network that ultimately determines the user experience. No matter how fast the servers are, if the network between users and servers is slow, application response times suffer. If inter-Region data transfer is unreliable, the reliability of globally distributed systems degrades. AWS, Azure, and GCP all invest in global networks, but their approaches and scale differ.

AWS's Dedicated Network Infrastructure

AWS has built a dedicated global network connecting its Regions. This network consists of dedicated fiber operated by AWS. Inter-Region communication travels over this private network, which makes it less susceptible to internet congestion and routing changes. AWS also invests directly in submarine cables. By investing in laying intercontinental submarine cables and securing capacity on existing cables, AWS ensures bandwidth and redundancy between Regions. This investment, like data center construction, is based on multi-year plans that secure capacity ahead of demand growth. AWS's network connects Regions with redundant fiber links.

Comparison with GCP's Premium Tier

GCP's Premium Tier network is often used as a point of comparison in discussions about network quality. Google operates a private network, and with GCP's Premium Tier, traffic travels within Google's network and exits from a PoP near the user. This shortens the portion of the path that traverses the public internet, which works in favor of latency and reliability. GCP presents this network quality as a differentiator. AWS's network, on the other hand, has the following characteristics. AWS traffic also travels through AWS's private network whenever possible and is delivered to users from edge locations. The key difference is that GCP explicitly separates network quality into "Premium Tier" and "Standard Tier" with different pricing, while AWS has no pricing difference based on such a division. AWS has no network tier selection.

Scale and Capabilities of Edge Locations

AWS operates many edge locations (PoPs) around the world. Azure CDN and GCP's Cloud CDN (built on Google's global network) also have their own locations, but the placement of locations and the way the network is built differ by provider. AWS edge locations provide more than just CloudFront CDN delivery - they integrate multiple functions. Route 53 DNS resolution happens at edge locations, responding from the nearest point to the user. AWS Shield DDoS protection also operates at the edge, filtering attack traffic before it reaches origin servers. Lambda@Edge and CloudFront Functions enable edge computing for authentication, redirects, header manipulation, A/B testing, and other logic. A distinguishing point is that the same locations handle DNS, DDoS protection, and edge processing in addition to CDN caching. Azure Front Door and GCP Cloud CDN offer similar capabilities.

Global Accelerator - Network Optimization via Anycast

AWS Global Accelerator is a service that uses AWS's global network. Using anycast IP addresses, it routes user traffic to the nearest AWS edge location, then forwards it to the origin through AWS's private network. It shortens the portion of the path that traverses the public internet, and AWS describes it as a way to improve the performance and availability of applications. The less stable the internet paths in a region, the more it matters to route part of the path over the private network. In regions where ISP peering may be insufficient, public internet routing can be inefficient. With Global Accelerator, traffic from these regions also travels over AWS's private network. Azure has Front Door and Traffic Manager, but Global Accelerator works with Layer 4 anycast and also supports protocols other than HTTP over TCP/UDP.

Direct Connect - Dedicated Connectivity Options

Direct Connect, which connects on-premises environments to AWS, is another pillar of AWS's network strategy. Direct Connect has locations around the world and offers 1 Gbps, 10 Gbps, 100 Gbps, and 400 Gbps Ethernet connection options. Azure ExpressRoute and GCP Cloud Interconnect offer similar services. Each Direct Connect location is associated with an AWS Region, and you can connect through data center operators or AWS partners. With Direct Connect Gateway, a single Direct Connect connection can access VPCs across multiple Regions, enabling efficient dedicated connectivity to globally distributed workloads.

Network Quality Visibility and Monitoring

Network quality must not only be built but continuously monitored to detect issues early. AWS also provides tools for visualizing network quality. CloudWatch Internet Monitor uses data collected from AWS's global network to monitor the performance and availability of internet-facing applications. VPC Flow Logs provide detailed network traffic logs, and Network Access Analyzer performs security analysis of network configurations. Reachability Analyzer verifies network path reachability and detects connectivity issues caused by misconfigurations before they impact users. These tools are integrated with AWS's network infrastructure.

Summary

AWS's global network is built on multiple layers: direct investment in private fiber and submarine cables, edge locations around the world, anycast routing via Global Accelerator, and Direct Connect locations. GCP divides its network into two tiers with different pricing, while AWS has no tier selection. Azure is also expanding its global network. Network quality directly affects the perceived performance of cloud services, and AWS continues to invest in its network infrastructure.

References (Official AWS Resources)

The primary sources for this page are the official AWS website and documentation. Check the official pages below for the latest specifications and pricing.

If this page and the official documentation disagree, treat the official documentation as authoritative.

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Related Services

AWS Global Accelerator SpecializedA service that improves application availability and performance using the AWS global networkAmazon CloudFront EssentialA CDN service that delivers content at high speed from edge locations around the worldAWS Direct Connect PopularA service that provides a dedicated network connection between on-premises and AWS for stable, low-latency connectivityAmazon Route 53 EssentialA highly available Domain Name System (DNS) and domain registration serviceAmazon VPC EssentialBuild a logically isolated virtual network on AWS

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