Indonesia’s state-owned telecom operator PT Telkom invests in developing a fiber optic network infrastructure connecting Sabang and Merauke in the Eastern part of the country. The cable system named Luwuk-Tutuyan Cable System is intended to connect the eastern part of Indonesia with high-speed telecommunication services.

Luwuk-Tutuyan Cable system’s segment to connect East Sulawesi and North Sulawesi span over 345 kilometers. The construction of Luwuk Tutuyan Cable System is part of the Indonesia Digital Network, through which Telkom would connect all parts of Indonesia with networks of fiber optic cables.

Sabang is a municipality consisting of a main island (Weh Island) and several smaller islands off the northern tip of Sumatra. The islands form a city within Aceh Special Region, Indonesia. The administrative center is located on Weh Island, 17 km north of Banda Aceh. The city covers an area of 153.0 square kilometers and has a population of more than 31,000 people. Sabang is also known as the northernmost and westernmost city in Indonesia.
Merauke is a city considered to be one of the easternmost cities in Indonesia, located in Merauke Regency, Papua province, Indonesia. It is next to Maro River. Merauke was established in February 1902 as a military post by the Dutch, to prevent raids by the Marind-anim into neighboring British New Guinea and the northwest Torres Strait Islands (Boigu, Dauan and Saibai).

PT Sarana Global Indonesia is the appointed contractor that would construct the Luwuk Tutuyan Cable System submarine optical fiber cable network. The Luwuk cable system is expected to be completed in June 2015. Deployment of submarine fiber optic cables is important for Indonesia’s economy as the country is spread into thousands of islands.

Telkom is beefing up its efforts in developing telecommunications infrastructure across the Indonesian archipelago with its Indonesia Digital Network program. Telkom’s fiber optic cable infrastructure development, which is expected to be inaugurated in early May 2015, will stretch around 76,700 km from Aceh on the western tip of the archipelago to the islands of Papua, Sulawesi, and Maluku on the eastern part. The project is called Sulawesi Papua Maluku Cable System (SMPCS).