JAKABARE: A regional submarine cable linking Singapore and Indonesia
The JAKABARE submarine cable system is a 1,330 km fiber-optic network connecting Singapore and Indonesia, with landing points at
Changi North (Singapore),
Sungai Kakap,
Tanjung Bemban, and
Tanjung Pakis (Indonesia). Owned by Indosat Ooredoo, it has been listed as in service since 2009, according to GeoCables data. This cable serves as an important regional link, enabling connectivity between Southeast Asia's largest economy and its financial hub.
What stands out about JAKABARE is the limited availability of publicly disclosed technical details, including its design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, and technology specifications. While its operational status is confirmed, the absence of detailed documentation makes it challenging to assess its full capabilities or compare it comprehensively with other cables in the region.
Quick facts
| Name | JAKABARE |
| Length | 1,330 km |
| Ready-for-Service Year | 2009 (GeoCables database) |
| Owner | Indosat Ooredoo |
| Status | In service |
| Design Capacity | Not disclosed |
| Fiber Pairs | Not disclosed |
| Supplier | Not disclosed |
| Technology | Not disclosed |
| Landing Points | Changi North (Singapore); Sungai Kakap (Indonesia); Tanjung Bemban (Indonesia); Tanjung Pakis (Indonesia) |
Route
The JAKABARE cable connects four landing points: Changi North in Singapore and three locations in Indonesia-Sungai Kakap, Tanjung Bemban, and Tanjung Pakis. Singapore serves as a major international hub for submarine cables, hosting numerous systems that interconnect Asia, Europe, and North America. The Indonesian landing points are situated along critical locations in the archipelago, providing inter-island and international connectivity.
Changi North is a particularly dense landing site, with at least nine other cables present, including the
Asia-America Gateway (AAG) Cable System and the
Batam Singapore Cable System (BSCS). Similarly, Tanjung Pakis hosts multiple cables, such as
Apricot and the
Jakarta Surabaya Cable System (JAYABAYA), underlining the importance of these sites as nodes in Indonesia's telecommunications network.
Why it was built and what it carries
The JAKABARE cable was built to enhance connectivity between Singapore and Indonesia, supporting growing data demand in the region. It facilitates both international traffic and domestic inter-island communication within Indonesia. Given the lack of disclosed design capacity, it is unclear how much traffic the cable can handle, but its role in linking a major economic hub with its neighboring archipelago suggests it carries substantial commercial and consumer data.
History: what can be established
GeoCables data records the cable's ready-for-service year as 2009. While no conflicting dates have surfaced in industry sources, the absence of detailed historical documentation leaves some questions about its development timeline and initial deployment. Indosat Ooredoo, the listed owner, is one of Indonesia's largest telecommunications providers, and its involvement suggests the cable was intended to support both domestic and international connectivity.
Capacity and technology
Publicly available sources do not disclose the design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, or technology used in JAKABARE. Without operator documentation, these specifications cannot be reliably stated. It is possible that the cable uses wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) technology, as this is standard for modern submarine cables, but attributing this to JAKABARE without confirmation would be speculative.
Latency: the physics
The computed one-way latency for light propagation over JAKABARE's 1,330 km of fiber is approximately 6.5 milliseconds, with a theoretical round-trip time (RTT) floor of 13.0 milliseconds. However, real-world RTT measurements are higher due to additional factors such as land tails, terminal equipment delays, and routing inefficiencies.
Live measurements conducted via remote probes (which reflect the full internet path, not just the cable) show a minimum RTT of 14.3 ms from Changi North to Tanjung Pakis, with an average of 57.1 ms over 160 checks. In the reverse direction, the minimum RTT is significantly higher at 118.4 ms, with an average of 118.5 ms over two checks. These discrepancies may result from asymmetric routing or congestion at intermediate nodes.
Redundancy: what happens if it breaks
In the event of a failure, redundancy for JAKABARE is provided by other cables landing at the same points. At Changi North, alternatives include the Asia-America Gateway (AAG) Cable System, Batam Singapore Cable System (BSCS), and others. Similarly, Tanjung Pakis hosts multiple systems such as Apricot and the Jakarta Surabaya Cable System (JAYABAYA). The availability of these alternatives reduces the impact of outages, though repair logistics for submarine cables-such as mobilizing cable ships and conducting undersea repairs-can still result in downtime lasting weeks.
Bottom line
- JAKABARE is a 1,330 km submarine cable connecting Singapore and Indonesia.
- Owned by Indosat Ooredoo, it has been in service since 2009 according to GeoCables data.
- Technical specifications such as design capacity and fiber pair count are not publicly disclosed.
- Latency measurements suggest real-world RTT exceeds the theoretical minimum due to routing and equipment factors.
- Redundancy is provided by numerous other cables landing at the same points, mitigating the impact of potential outages.