Forest Fire in Indonesia Disrupts Submarine Cables, Echo and INDIGO-West Affected
Fires in Indonesia
On September 6, 2026, at 15:08 local time, a major forest fire was recorded in the "Green Forest" area in Indonesia. The fire is ongoing and its impact is already being felt on infrastructure, including submarine cables located within a radius of 500 km from the ignition point.
Submarine Cables in the Fire Zone
Several key submarine cables pass through the area near the fire. Among them:
- Echo (17184 km, commissioned in 2025, owned by Google and Meta) passes through a station in Tanjung Pakis, located 377.2 km from the fire.
- INDIGO-West (4600 km, RFS 2019, owned by AARNET and Google) has a node in Jakarta, situated 379.7 km from the fire zone.
- PASULI (40 km, RFS 2019, FiberStar and XLSmart) and Sumatera Bangka Cable System (57 km, RFS 2014, Telkom Indonesia) pass through Muntok, located 117.7 km from the fire.
- Other cables in the area include JaSuKa, Tanjung Pandan-Sungai Kakap, Link 4 Phase-2 and JIBA.
Data Analysis: Delays and Anomalies
Our measurements show significant changes in signal propagation delay (RTT) on two cables:
- For Echo, the delay increased from the base value of 201.9 ms to 282.8 ms (delta +80.9 ms, which exceeds the base value by 15.5 standard deviations).
- On INDIGO-West, RTT rose from 59.1 ms to 337.4 ms (delta +278.4 ms, 14.9 standard deviations).
The other cables in the zone, including PASULI, SBCS, and JaSuKa, continue to show stable operation, confirming their resilience under current conditions.
Impacts on Internet Traffic
Anomalies on Echo and INDIGO-West cables may affect traffic routing, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. These cables play a crucial role in connecting Indonesia with global internet backbones, including the US and Australia. Increased RTT can impact data transmission delays, which are especially critical for streaming services and financial operations.
Nevertheless, due to the availability of alternative routes via other cables such as PASULI and JaSuKa, the overall impact on the regional network may be minimized. However, the situation requires further monitoring to avoid potential overloads on backup channels.
What We Will Monitor
We will continue to monitor changes in the state of submarine cables in the fire zone. Special attention will be paid to the Echo and INDIGO-West cables, where significant anomalies in RTT have already been recorded. Additionally, we will observe possible changes on other cables such as PASULI and SBCS to promptly identify any deviations.
We will also analyze the impact of current events on traffic routing in the region and prepare recommendations for cable operators to minimize the consequences.
