JaKa2LaDeMa: Indonesian Domestic Submarine Cable
JaKa2LaDeMa is a submarine cable system owned by Telkom Indonesia, connecting multiple landing points across the Indonesian archipelago. Spanning approximately 1700 km, it is listed as in service and was recorded as ready for service (RFS) in 2010 according to the GeoCables database. The cable plays a significant role in regional connectivity, linking major cities and islands within Indonesia.
Despite its operational status, several technical details about JaKa2LaDeMa remain undisclosed in public sources, including its design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, and technology specifics. This lack of transparency leaves room for speculation about its exact capabilities and configuration, but the cable's strategic importance in the domestic corridor is clear.
Quick facts
Route
JaKa2LaDeMa connects ten landing points across Indonesia, including Banjarmasin, Beculuk, Denpasar, Gianyar, Ketapang, Mataram, Pankalan, Pontianak, Sangata, and Toweli. These locations span various islands, such as Kalimantan, Bali, Lombok, and Sulawesi, reflecting the cable's role in bridging geographically dispersed regions of the archipelago. Notably, Banjarmasin, Pontianak, and Ketapang are hubs for other submarine cables, including
Barat Timur Indonesia-2 (BTI-2), the
S-U-B Cable System,
Trans Global Cable System (TGCS), and
JaSuKa.
Why it was built and what it carries
JaKa2LaDeMa was built to enhance domestic connectivity within Indonesia, a country comprising over 17,000 islands. The cable facilitates communication and data transfer between major cities and islands, supporting economic activities, internet services, and regional development. While specific traffic types or volumes are not disclosed, it is reasonable to assume that the cable carries a mix of residential, business, and governmental data.
History: what can be established
The GeoCables database records JaKa2LaDeMa as ready for service in 2010. Publicly available sources do not suggest an alternative RFS year, but if discrepancies arise in industry reports, they could stem from delays in deployment, staggered activation of segments, or differences in documentation standards. Telkom Indonesia's ownership aligns with its broader role as a major telecom operator in the region.
Capacity and technology
No information is publicly available regarding JaKa2LaDeMa's design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, or specific technology. Without operator documentation, attributing these details would be speculative. Submarine cables of similar scale often utilize dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) technology to maximize capacity, but whether this applies to JaKa2LaDeMa cannot be confirmed.
Latency: the physics
The computed one-way light propagation latency for JaKa2LaDeMa's 1700 km wet segment is approximately 8.3 ms, with a theoretical round-trip time (RTT) floor of 16.7 ms. However, real-world RTT measurements are higher due to additional factors such as land-based network tails, terminal equipment processing, and routing inefficiencies.
Live measurements from remote probes show significantly higher RTTs for paths involving Denpasar, one of the cable's landing points. For example:
- Singapore -> Denpasar: 31.7 ms
- Sydney -> Denpasar: 123.9 ms
- Almaty -> Denpasar: 304.0 ms
- Tbilisi -> Denpasar: 230.9 ms
- Minsk -> Denpasar: 278.4 ms
- Sao Paulo -> Denpasar: 369.6 ms
These measurements reflect the entire internet path, not solely the cable itself, and include routing through intermediate networks.
Redundancy: what happens if it breaks
JaKa2LaDeMa operates within a corridor that includes other cables, such as Barat Timur Indonesia-2 (BTI-2), the S-U-B Cable System, Trans Global Cable System (TGCS), and JaSuKa. These systems provide redundancy for regional connectivity, allowing traffic to be rerouted in the event of a failure. Standard industry practices for submarine cable repair involve deploying specialized cable ships to locate, retrieve, and repair damaged sections, but specific details for JaKa2LaDeMa's repair logistics are not publicly documented.
Bottom line
- JaKa2LaDeMa spans 1700 km and connects ten landing points across Indonesia.
- Owned by Telkom Indonesia, it was recorded as ready for service in 2010.
- Technical details such as design capacity, fiber pairs, supplier, and technology are not disclosed.
- Computed latency floor is 8.3 ms one-way, but real-world RTTs are higher due to additional network factors.
- Redundancy is provided by other cables in the corridor, including BTI-2, S-U-B, TGCS, and JaSuKa.