Indonesian telco Telkom has unveiled plans to build a new domestic submarine cable at a cost of $170 million.
The cable, Jaka2ladema, will link Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Denpasar and Mataram.
The submarine network will span 2,600 kilometers, with an initial capacity of about 320Gbps.
The Java-Mataram cable leg is half-way completed. Telkom president director Rinaldi Firmansyah told the Jakarta Postthat the goal is to complete the second half of this route by year-end.
The Mataram-Kupang leg is scheduled for completion at the end of 2011.
The cable system will bring much-needed infrastructure to eastern Indonesia.
Rinaldi said Telkom had secured a $60 million loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to finance the cable.
The remaining funds will come from Telkom’s capex budget.