Indonesia Tengah Cable Systems

Indonesia Tengah Cable Systems: A regional subsea network in service

The Indonesia Tengah Cable Systems is a submarine telecommunications cable spanning 2,641 km, connecting multiple locations across Indonesia's central region. Owned by PT Jejaring Mitra Persada and Triasmitra, the system is listed as in service, though its recorded ready-for-service (RFS) year in the GeoCables database is 2027. This cable serves as a key infrastructure element for connecting islands and cities in the archipelago, facilitating internet and data communications.

What stands out about this cable is the uncertainty surrounding its technical specifications, such as design capacity, fiber pair count, and supplier details, which are not disclosed in public sources. Additionally, the discrepancy between its listed operational status and the RFS year in the GeoCables database raises questions about its timeline and documentation.

Quick facts

Route

The Indonesia Tengah Cable Systems connects ten landing points across Indonesia's central region:

• Baubau
• Kawinda Nae
• Kendari
• Labuhan Bajo
• Luwuk
• Makassar
• Morowali
• Sanur
• Selayar
• Wakatobi

This route spans islands and coastal cities, providing connectivity to areas that are geographically dispersed. Several landing points, such as Makassar and Kendari, are hubs for multiple other cables, creating opportunities for redundancy and interconnection.

Why it was built and what it carries

The Indonesia Tengah Cable Systems was built to address the growing demand for reliable telecommunications and internet connectivity within Indonesia's central region. As an archipelagic nation with thousands of islands, Indonesia faces unique challenges in ensuring smooth digital communication. This cable connects key regional hubs, enabling data transfer and internet services for residential, commercial, and governmental users.

Although the design capacity and fiber pair count are not disclosed, the cable likely supports high-speed data transmission, as is typical for modern submarine cables. Its role in the network ecosystem is particularly important for regions with limited terrestrial infrastructure.

History: what can be established

According to the GeoCables database, the Indonesia Tengah Cable Systems has a recorded ready-for-service year of 2027. However, it is listed as currently in service, creating a conflict in the timeline. Possible explanations for this discrepancy include:

• An error in the database entry.
• A phased rollout, where parts of the cable became operational before full completion.
• Delayed documentation of its actual operational start date.
• Miscommunication or lack of updates from the operators.

Without operator documentation or corroborating industry sources, the precise timeline cannot be definitively established.

Capacity and technology

Publicly available data does not confirm the design capacity, fiber pair count, or specific technology used in the Indonesia Tengah Cable Systems. While modern submarine cables typically employ dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) for high-capacity data transmission, attributing this to the cable without documentation would be speculative.

The supplier and other technical details remain undisclosed, leaving gaps in understanding the cable's full capabilities.

Latency: the physics

Theoretical one-way light propagation over the cable's 2,641 km length is approximately 12.9 ms, with a round-trip time (RTT) floor of 25.9 ms. However, real-world latency is higher due to additional factors such as land tails, terminal equipment, and routing complexities.

Live measurements from remote probes provide insights into broader internet paths involving Morowali, one of the cable's landing points:

• Singapore -> Morowali: min 49.1 ms, avg 50.2 ms
• Sydney -> Morowali: min 144.3 ms, avg 144.8 ms
• Almaty -> Morowali: min 298.2 ms, avg 335.4 ms

These figures reflect the combined latency of the cable and other network components, not the cable alone.

Redundancy: what happens if it breaks

If the Indonesia Tengah Cable Systems experiences a fault, redundancy is available through other cables landing at shared points. For example:

• Baubau: Palapa Ring Middle
• Kendari: Barat Timur Indonesia-2 (BTI-2), Palapa Ring Middle, SMPCS Packet-1
• Luwuk: Barat Timur Indonesia-2 (BTI-2), Luwuk Tutuyan Cable System (LTCS), Palapa Ring Middle
• Makassar: Asia Connect Cable-1 (ACC-1), Barat Timur Indonesia-1 (BTI-1), Indonesia Global Gateway (IGG) System, S-U-B Cable System, Trans Global Cable System (TGCS)

Repairs would involve standard industry practices, including deploying specialized cable ships to locate, retrieve, and restore the damaged segment. Given Indonesia's extensive cable network, rerouting traffic through alternative systems would mitigate disruptions.

Bottom line

• The Indonesia Tengah Cable Systems spans 2,641 km and connects ten landing points across Indonesia's central region.
• Owned by PT Jejaring Mitra Persada and Triasmitra, it is listed as in service, though its RFS year is recorded as 2027 in the GeoCables database.
• Technical specifications such as design capacity, fiber pair count, and supplier details are not publicly disclosed.
• Theoretical latency is approximately 12.9 ms one-way, but real-world measurements are higher due to additional network factors.
• Redundancy is available through multiple other cables at shared landing points.