Ambon, Indonesia: no other cable lands within 50 km.
Bandaneria, Indonesia: no other cable lands within 50 km.
Labuha, Indonesia: no other cable lands within 50 km.
Masohi, Indonesia: no other cable lands within 50 km.
Namlea, Indonesia: no other cable lands within 50 km.
On an island this means losing the submarine link; on the mainland traffic can still go over land.
Our alerts on this cable in the last 180 days: 1, last on 4 Sep 2026. Events feed →
Counted: other international cables landing in the same country (domestic cables between points of one country are not a way out), other cables at landing points within 50 km, and whether the country has land links. Not counted: cable capacity, operator contracts and satellite. Use as a first look at dependence, not as a statement of what would happen.
Load profile
+3.3% above night floor · typical for this hour
flat profile: latency barely moves through the day, headroom looks comfortable · usual peak 00:00 UTC · 7 corridors
Indirect estimate from diurnal latency rise under load (queueing delay), normalized per corridor to its night floor. This is NOT operator utilization data.
Live Performance
1,436
measurements
15
probes
91
days monitored
288.5
ms avg RTT
1
anomalies
Monitored from 2026-07-11 through 2026-10-11 - live ICMP round-trip time measurements via our monitoring probes. All values below are recomputed daily from raw probe data.
Measurement sources
Probe
Location
Samples
Avg
Min-Max
Last seen
#6427 own probe
Sydney AU
182
319.9 ms
122.5-613.4
2026-10-11
#6410 own probe
Sao Paulo BR
180
389.4 ms
361.9-682.6
2026-10-11
own probe
Almaty KZ
130
296.7 ms
2.3-339.5
2026-10-05
#7062 own probe
Cape Town ZA
115
338.4 ms
305.6-413.1
2026-09-09
own probe
Minsk BY
113
264.2 ms
257.9-276.9
2026-09-09
own probe
Jerusalem IL
111
278.7 ms
276.1-286.1
2026-09-09
own probe
Moscow RU
98
224.4 ms
223.2-231.8
2026-09-09
own probe
Rostov RU
96
264.7 ms
240.8-914.6
2026-09-09
own probe
Odessa UA
96
260.3 ms
229.3-265.8
2026-09-09
own probe
Balancer IL
95
300.4 ms
293.9-306.4
2026-09-09
own probe
Kyiv UA
94
223.2 ms
211.3-230.6
2026-09-09
own probe
Tbilisi GE
84
234.9 ms
226.1-346.6
2026-09-09
own probe
Sevastopol UA
21
255.2 ms
253.3-256.5
2026-09-09
#6487
control probe
16
34.4 ms
30.5-57.9
2026-08-26
#6568 own probe
Singapore SG
5
32.3 ms
25.8-44.4
2026-10-11
About the SMPCS Packet-1 Cable System
SMPCS Packet-1: A regional submarine cable in eastern Indonesia
The SMPCS Packet-1 submarine cable, owned by Telkom Indonesia, spans 3,156 kilometers and connects multiple landing points across eastern Indonesia. It is part of the SMPCS (Sulawesi Maluku Papua Cable System) family, alongside SMPCS Packet-2. The cable is currently listed as in service, with its ready-for-service (RFS) date recorded in the GeoCables database as 2015. The cable plays a role in improving connectivity in a geographically challenging region, linking islands and cities such as Ambon, Fakfak, Manado, Sorong, and Ternate.
What stands out about SMPCS Packet-1 is the limited publicly disclosed information about its design capacity, fiber pairs, supplier, and technology. This lack of transparency makes it difficult to assess its full technical capabilities or compare it directly with other cables in the region. Additionally, while its theoretical latency floor is calculable, real-world latency measurements reveal the broader complexities of internet routing and infrastructure.
SMPCS Packet-1 connects 12 landing points across eastern Indonesia. These include major cities and smaller islands, such as Ambon, Manado, Sorong, and Ternate, as well as less prominent locations like Fakfak, Labuha, and Namlea. The cable's route traverses the Maluku and Sulawesi regions, which are characterized by fragmented geography and numerous islands. This layout highlights the logistical challenges of deploying submarine cables in archipelagic nations like Indonesia.
Why it was built and what it carries
The SMPCS Packet-1 cable was built to enhance connectivity in eastern Indonesia, a region historically underserved by telecom infrastructure due to its complex geography. By linking multiple islands and cities, the cable supports internet access, data transmission, and telecommunications services for residents and businesses. As part of Telkom Indonesia’s broader strategy, SMPCS Packet-1 complements other cables in the region, such as SMPCS Packet-2 and the Palapa Ring Middle, to create a more interconnected network.
History: what can be established
The GeoCables database lists the cable's ready-for-service year as 2015. No conflicting dates from other industry sources are currently known, so this value is accepted as accurate. However, public information about its construction timeline, deployment process, and initial testing phase is scarce. Telkom Indonesia’s role as the owner suggests that the cable was likely part of its broader efforts to expand connectivity in less developed areas of the country.
Capacity and technology
Publicly available data does not disclose the design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, or specific technology used in SMPCS Packet-1. Without operator documentation, attributing these values would be speculative. Given its regional scope and deployment year, it is reasonable to assume that the cable employs standard optical fiber technology, but its exact specifications remain unknown.
Latency: the physics
The theoretical one-way light propagation latency over the 3,156-kilometer cable is approximately 15.5 milliseconds, with a round-trip time (RTT) floor of 30.9 milliseconds. However, real-world latency measurements from remote probes show significantly higher values due to factors such as terrestrial routing, terminal equipment delays, and network congestion. For example:
Singapore to Ambon: minimum RTT of 57.9 ms
Sydney to Ambon: minimum RTT of 144.7 ms
Almaty to Ambon: minimum RTT of 298.9 ms
Tbilisi to Ambon: minimum RTT of 346.6 ms
Cape Town to Ambon: minimum RTT of 316.4 ms
Sao Paulo to Ambon: minimum RTT of 393.4 ms
These measurements reflect the full internet path, not the cable itself, and include additional latency from routing through intermediate networks.
Redundancy: what happens if it breaks
In the event of a failure, redundancy is provided by other cables in the region. For example, SMPCS Packet-2 lands at Fakfak and Sorong, while the Palapa Ring Middle connects Kendari, Sanana, Sofifi, and Ternate. Manado, a key landing point, is served by multiple cables, including Asia Connect Cable-1, Barat Timur Indonesia-1 and -2, Bifrost, Indonesia Global Gateway System, and Trans Global Cable System. Repair logistics for submarine cables typically involve deploying specialized cable ships to locate and fix the fault, a process that can take days to weeks depending on the severity of the issue and weather conditions.
Bottom line
SMPCS Packet-1 spans 3,156 km and connects 12 landing points in eastern Indonesia.
Owned by Telkom Indonesia, it was recorded as ready for service in 2015.
Design capacity, fiber pairs, supplier, and technology are not publicly disclosed.
Theoretical latency floor is 30.9 ms RTT, but real-world measurements are higher due to routing and network factors.
Redundancy is provided by other cables in the region, including SMPCS Packet-2 and Palapa Ring Middle.