How to Share Large Files Internationally Without Delays

Why International File Transfers Fail

International file sharing is the transfer of digital files across geographic borders, accounting for network latency, data sovereignty requirements, and regional infrastructure limitations. Without optimization, international transfers can be 10x slower than domestic ones.

The main obstacles fall into three categories:

Network distance and latency. Every file transfer is a conversation between computers. Sender: "Here's a packet." Receiver: "Got it, send more." When those computers are 10,000 miles apart, that back-and-forth takes longer. A file that takes 5 minutes to send across town might take 50 minutes to send overseas.

Infrastructure differences. Internet speeds differ significantly between regions. Transfer speeds between the US and UK are typically 80-100 Mbps. Between the US and Southeast Asia, you might see 20-30 Mbps on the same connection. Between the US and parts of Africa, speeds can drop below 10 Mbps.

Government restrictions. Data localization laws affect 75+ countries. Some require data to stay within national borders. Others block specific services entirely. China's Great Firewall blocks Google Drive, Dropbox, and most Western file sharing platforms. Russia blocks various services unpredictably. The UAE restricts certain encryption protocols.

Understanding which obstacle you're facing determines the solution.

Optimizing for Network Latency

The physics of international transfer can't be changed, but the impact can be minimized.

Use services with global CDN infrastructure

Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) place servers around the world. Instead of your file traveling from San Francisco to Singapore directly, it goes to a nearby CDN node. That node then handles the international leg using optimized routes. The difference is measurable: a 10GB file that takes 3 hours via direct transfer might complete in 45 minutes through a CDN.

Enable parallel connections

Standard file transfers use a single TCP connection. Advanced transfer protocols open multiple parallel connections, each carrying part of the file simultaneously. If one connection slows down, others compensate. Tools like Aspera, Signiant, and some cloud platforms use this approach for large file transfers.

Avoid compression for already-compressed files

Video files (MP4, MKV), images (JPEG, PNG), and archives (ZIP, RAR) are already compressed. Compressing them again wastes time without reducing size. For these file types, skip compression and transfer directly.

Schedule transfers during off-peak hours

International bandwidth is shared infrastructure. Transfers run faster when fewer people are using the same routes. Early morning (5-8 AM) at either the sender's or receiver's location typically offers better speeds than business hours.

Handling Regional Infrastructure Challenges

Different regions present different challenges. Here's what to expect and how to adapt.

Asia-Pacific

Infrastructure quality varies widely within the region. Japan, South Korea, and Singapore have excellent connectivity. Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam have improving but inconsistent infrastructure. For large transfers to Southeast Asia, expect 30-50% longer transfer times than to Western Europe or Australia.

Practical tip: If sending to multiple recipients across Asia-Pacific, upload to a Singapore-based server. Singapore is a network hub with good connectivity throughout the region.

Middle East

Gulf states (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar) have modern infrastructure but block certain services and protocols. Egypt has good infrastructure in Cairo but limited connectivity elsewhere. VPNs are restricted in several countries.

Practical tip: Verify your file sharing service works in the recipient's country before starting important transfers. Test with a small file first.

Africa

South Africa and Nigeria have the strongest infrastructure. North African countries vary. Central and East Africa often require patience. Submarine cable capacity is improving but still limited compared to other regions.

Practical tip: For large files to Africa, consider splitting into smaller chunks. If the connection drops at 80% completion on a 50GB file, you lose significant progress. Five 10GB chunks mean losing only one chunk if something fails.

Latin America

Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile have solid infrastructure. Connectivity between Latin American countries is often routed through Miami, adding latency even for regional transfers. Rural areas across the continent have limited connectivity.

Practical tip: For ongoing collaboration with Latin American teams, cloud storage with local data centers (AWS Sao Paulo, Azure Brazil) provides better performance than US-hosted services.

Working Around Blocked Services

When a service is blocked in a country, you have three options: use a different service, use a different protocol, or use specialized infrastructure.

Using unblocked services

Research which services work in your recipient's country. For China, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and WeTransfer are all blocked. Services like Filemail, FileCloud, and some enterprise platforms work. For Russia, different services are blocked at different times.

Maintain a list of backup services for each region you work with regularly. The blocking landscape changes, so verify periodically.

Using alternative protocols

FTP and SFTP often work when web-based services don't. Government firewalls tend to focus on blocking popular consumer platforms rather than every possible transfer protocol. If you control both endpoints, setting up an SFTP server provides a reliable fallback.

The downside: protocols like SFTP require technical setup and don't offer the user-friendly experience of cloud platforms.

Using cloud infrastructure inside the restricted region

For ongoing business needs in restricted regions, consider cloud providers with local infrastructure. Alibaba Cloud for China. Local providers in Russia. This adds complexity but provides reliable access.

For detailed guidance on China specifically, see our guide to sharing files with China.

Data Sovereignty and Compliance

Data localization laws add legal complexity to international file sharing. Some regulations to be aware of:

GDPR (European Union)

Personal data about EU residents can only be transferred outside the EU to countries with "adequate" data protection or under specific legal mechanisms. This affects sharing files containing personal information, customer lists, or employee records. The US-EU Data Privacy Framework provides a path for US-EU transfers, but the specifics matter for compliance.

PIPL (China)

China's Personal Information Protection Law requires that data collected in China be stored on servers within China. Cross-border transfers require security assessments or certifications. For files containing personal data from Chinese citizens, legal review is essential.

LGPD (Brazil)

Brazil's data protection law mirrors GDPR in many ways. International transfers require adequate protection mechanisms. Contracts with Brazilian entities increasingly include data localization clauses.

Industry-specific regulations

Healthcare data (HIPAA in the US), financial data (various regulations by country), and government data all have additional transfer restrictions. If you're sharing files in these sectors, consult compliance specialists before establishing international workflows.

The practical impact: For most business files, these regulations don't prevent sharing, but they may require specific security measures, contracts, or documentation. Audit trails showing who accessed files, when, and from where become important evidence of compliance.

Setting Up Reliable International Workflows

For occasional international transfers, any working service is fine. For regular collaboration across borders, invest in a proper setup.

Single platform approach

Choose a cloud platform that works in all regions you operate in. Ensure it has:

• CDN infrastructure for performance
• No file size limits (or limits above your needs)
• Encryption in transit and at rest
• Audit logging for compliance
• No blocked status in key regions

Test the platform from each region before committing. Have stakeholders in each location confirm they can upload and download without issues.

Hub and spoke for complex situations

If no single platform works everywhere, designate regional hubs. A UK-based team uploads to Platform A. A China-based team uploads to Platform B. A central coordinator manages cross-platform transfers as needed.

This adds manual effort but solves impossible situations where no platform works everywhere.

Automation for large volumes

If you're transferring many files internationally on a regular basis, look into API integrations and automation. Manual uploads don't scale. Services with robust APIs let you build workflows that handle transfers automatically.

For video production, post-production, and media workflows, specialized transfer services offer high-speed protocols designed for large media files.

Troubleshooting Slow International Transfers

When international transfers run slowly, work through this diagnostic process:

Check if the problem is local

Run a speed test (speedtest.net or fast.com) at both ends. If either endpoint shows slow speeds, the international transfer can't be faster than the local connection. Fix local connectivity first.

Verify service status

Check if your file sharing service has a status page and whether it reports issues. Large services experience outages that affect transfer speeds. Also check if the service was recently blocked in the destination country.

Test with a different file type

Some services apply different processing to different file types. If a video file transfers slowly, try the same size file as a ZIP archive. If the ZIP transfers faster, the service may be re-encoding or scanning video files.

Try a different browser or client

Browser extensions, VPNs, and security software can throttle transfers. Try uploading via incognito mode or a different browser. If a desktop client is available, compare its speed to the web interface.

Scale back concurrent transfers

Running multiple transfers simultaneously splits available bandwidth. Try pausing other transfers and focusing on one file at a time.

Consider time of day

If transfers are consistently slow at certain times, try shifting to off-peak hours. International routes are especially congested during business hours when both regions overlap.

If none of these steps help, the bottleneck is likely infrastructure between regions. In that case, only a CDN-based service or specialized transfer protocol will improve speeds.