Patara-2: A Regional Submarine Cable in Eastern Indonesia
Patara-2 is a submarine cable system owned by Telin, connecting three landing points in eastern Indonesia:
Manokwari,
Supiori, and
Waisai. With a total length of 1200 km, it is listed as in service and was recorded as ready for service (RFS) in 2023 according to GeoCables data. This cable serves as a regional infrastructure link within Indonesia, supporting connectivity in an area where terrestrial networks face geographical challenges due to the archipelagic nature of the country.
What makes Patara-2 interesting is the limited public disclosure about its technical specifications, such as design capacity, fiber pairs, supplier, and technology. This lack of transparency is not uncommon for smaller regional cables, but it leaves room for speculation about its exact capabilities and role in the broader network landscape. Additionally, its route overlaps with other cables at its landing points, raising questions about redundancy and traffic distribution in the region.
Quick facts
| Cable name | Patara-2 |
| Length | 1200 km |
| Ready for service | 2023 (GeoCables database value; industry sources not cited) |
| Owner | Telin |
| Status | In service |
| Design capacity | Not disclosed |
| Fiber pairs | Not disclosed |
| Supplier | Not disclosed |
| Technology | Not disclosed |
| Landing points | Manokwari, Supiori, Waisai (all in Indonesia) |
🗺 Show Patara-2 on the interactive cable map
Route
Patara-2 connects three landing points in Indonesia: Manokwari in West Papua, Supiori in Papua Province, and Waisai in Raja Ampat. These locations are part of eastern Indonesia, a region characterized by remote islands and challenging terrain. Submarine cables are essential here, as terrestrial networks are often impractical or prohibitively expensive to deploy. The cable's route complements existing infrastructure, such as the
Palapa Ring East and
SMPCS Packet-2 cables, which also land in Manokwari, Supiori, and Waisai.
Why it was built and what it carries
Patara-2 was likely built to enhance regional connectivity within Indonesia, particularly in areas with limited access to reliable broadband services. Eastern Indonesia has historically struggled with connectivity due to its remote geography and sparse population centers. By connecting Manokwari, Supiori, and Waisai, the cable supports local internet service providers and mobile operators, enabling better access to digital services for residents and businesses.
Its traffic likely includes internet data, voice communications, and other digital services. However, without public disclosure of its design capacity or fiber pair count, the exact volume of data it can handle remains unknown.
History: what can be established
GeoCables data lists Patara-2 as ready for service in 2023, and it is currently operational. No conflicting RFS dates have been identified in public sources or industry databases. The lack of detailed historical information about its construction, supplier, and commissioning process is consistent with the limited transparency often seen in regional cables.
Capacity and technology
The design capacity, fiber pair count, and supplier of Patara-2 have not been disclosed in public sources, making it impossible to state its technical capabilities with certainty. Without operator documentation, attributing specific technology or bandwidth would be speculative. It is reasonable to assume that the cable uses standard optical fiber technology for submarine systems, but details such as repeater count or wavelength configuration remain unknown.
Latency: the physics
Based on the cable's length of 1200 km, the theoretical one-way light propagation latency is approximately 5.9 milliseconds, while the round-trip time (RTT) over the wet segment is around 11.8 milliseconds. These calculations assume light traveling through fiber at speeds between 200,000 and 204,000 km/s.
Real-world latency measurements, however, are significantly higher due to additional factors such as land tails, terminal equipment, and routing inefficiencies. GeoCables live measurements show the following minimum RTTs from various global locations to Waisai:
- Singapore -> Waisai: 114.0 ms
- Sydney -> Waisai: 210.3 ms
- Almaty -> Waisai: 360.5 ms
- Tbilisi -> Waisai: 309.3 ms
- Cape Town -> Waisai: 418.4 ms
- Sao Paulo -> Waisai: 290.8 ms
These figures reflect the full internet path, including routing through intermediate networks, rather than the cable itself.
Redundancy: what happens if it breaks
If Patara-2 experiences a fault, redundancy is provided by other cables landing at its endpoints. Manokwari and Supiori are connected to the Palapa Ring East cable, while Waisai is served by SMPCS Packet-2. These alternative systems can reroute traffic, minimizing disruption. Repairing submarine cables typically involves deploying specialized ships equipped with remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to locate and fix the fault. However, repair timelines depend on factors such as weather, fault location, and cable availability.
Bottom line
- Patara-2 is a 1200 km submarine cable connecting Manokwari, Supiori, and Waisai in eastern Indonesia.
- Owned by Telin, it was recorded as ready for service in 2023 and is currently operational.
- Technical details such as design capacity, fiber pairs, and supplier have not been disclosed.
- Its theoretical RTT floor is 11.8 ms over the wet segment, but real-world latency is higher due to network routing.
- Redundancy is provided by Palapa Ring East and SMPCS Packet-2 cables at its landing points.