Jakarta-Bangka-Bintan-Batam-Singapore (B3JS)

Jakarta-Bangka-Bintan-Batam-Singapore (B3JS): Regional connectivity across Indonesia and Singapore

The Jakarta-Bangka-Bintan-Batam-Singapore (B3JS) submarine cable is a 1,031-kilometer system connecting multiple islands in Indonesia to Singapore. Owned by Moratelindo, it is listed as in service and has been operational since 2012 according to GeoCables records. This cable plays a significant role in linking Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, to key regional hubs such as Batam, Bintan, and Bangka, as well as Tanah Merah in Singapore. What makes this cable particularly interesting is the lack of publicly disclosed technical details, such as its design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, and technology. While this is not uncommon in the submarine cable industry, it limits the ability to assess its full technical capabilities or compare it directly to other systems in the region. Additionally, there are discrepancies in latency measurements, highlighting the challenges of interpreting live internet path data versus theoretical physics.

Quick facts

Name	Jakarta-Bangka-Bintan-Batam-Singapore (B3JS)
Length	1,031 km
Ready for Service (RFS)	2012 (GeoCables database value; no conflicting industry sources identified)
Owner	Moratelindo
Status	In service
Design Capacity	Not disclosed
Fiber Pairs	Not disclosed
Supplier	Not disclosed
Technology	Not disclosed

Show Jakarta-Bangka-Bintan-Batam-Singapore (B3JS) on the interactive cable map

Route

The B3JS cable connects six landing points across Indonesia and Singapore:

• Jakarta (Indonesia)
• Batu Prahu (Indonesia)
• Bintan (Indonesia)
• Batam (Indonesia)
• Pesaren (Indonesia)
• Tanah Merah (Singapore)

This route spans the Java Sea and the Singapore Strait, linking Indonesia's densely populated capital to nearby islands and Singapore, a major telecommunications hub. The cable's landing points are strategically chosen to serve both urban centers and regional connectivity needs.

Why it was built and what it carries

The B3JS cable was built to enhance connectivity between Indonesia and Singapore, addressing growing demand for bandwidth in Southeast Asia. Indonesia, with its vast archipelago and rapidly expanding internet usage, requires strong infrastructure to connect its islands and integrate with international networks. Singapore, as a global financial and technology hub, serves as a gateway for international traffic. Though the design capacity of the B3JS cable has not been disclosed, its role in regional connectivity suggests it carries a mix of internet, voice, and enterprise data traffic. It likely supports both domestic Indonesian traffic and international transit through Singapore.

History: what can be established

GeoCables data records the B3JS cable as having been ready for service in 2012. No conflicting dates have been identified in publicly available industry sources, so this date is considered reliable. The cable was developed by Moratelindo, a significant player in Indonesia's telecommunications sector. The absence of information on the supplier and technology used in the cable’s construction is notable, as such details are often disclosed for new systems.

Capacity and technology

Publicly available data does not confirm the design capacity, fiber pair count, or specific technology used in the B3JS cable. Without operator documentation, attributing these details would be speculative. However, given its regional importance, the cable is likely designed to handle substantial traffic volumes, leveraging modern optical transmission technologies typical of systems built in the 2010s.

Latency: the physics

The theoretical one-way light propagation latency over the 1,031-kilometer wet segment of the B3JS cable is approximately 5.1 milliseconds, with a round-trip time (RTT) floor of 10.1 milliseconds. This calculation assumes light travels through fiber at speeds between 200,000 and 204,000 kilometers per second. Live measurements conducted via remote probes show significant discrepancies. For example:

• Tanah Merah -> Jakarta: minimum 1.4 ms, average 59.6 ms over 395 checks. The minimum value is flagged as a measurement artifact, as it is below the physical floor of 10.1 ms.
• Jakarta -> Tanah Merah: minimum 118.4 ms, average 118.5 ms over 2 checks. This is far above the theoretical floor, likely reflecting additional latency from land tails, terminal equipment, and routing.

These results underscore the complexity of measuring real-world latency, which depends on factors beyond the cable itself.

Redundancy: what happens if it breaks

The B3JS cable shares landing points with numerous other submarine cables, providing redundancy in case of outages. For example:

• Batam hosts over 15 other cables, including Apricot, Asia Connect Cable-1 (ACC-1), and Barat Timur Indonesia-2 (BTI-2).
• Batu Prahu is also served by the Jakarta-Bangka-Batam-Singapore (B2JS) cable.
• Jakarta connects to major systems like INDIGO-West and the Indonesia Global Gateway (IGG) System.
• Tanah Merah is a landing point for cables such as the Australia-Singapore Cable (ASC) and SEAX-1.

In the event of a failure, traffic can be rerouted through these alternative systems, minimizing disruption.

Bottom line

• The Jakarta-Bangka-Bintan-Batam-Singapore (B3JS) cable spans 1,031 km and has been operational since 2012.
• Owned by Moratelindo, the cable connects key locations in Indonesia and Singapore.
• Technical details such as design capacity, fiber pairs, supplier, and technology are not publicly disclosed.
• Theoretical latency is approximately 10.1 ms RTT over the wet segment, but live measurements show higher real-world values due to additional factors.
• Redundancy is provided by numerous other cables at shared landing points, ensuring resilience in case of outages.