Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison of Indonesia to partner with Inligo networks on trans pacific cable
Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison and Inligo Networks announce both parties will partner to build a high-capacity fibre-optic telecommunication submarine cable system, Inligo Networks Asia Connect Cable System or ACC-1.
The partnership supports Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison’s vision to become the most preferred digital telco of Indonesia by developing a new low-latency and high-capacity data network through fibre optic cables, connecting multiple Indonesian cities to Australia, Guam, Singapore, and the United States through Indonesian waters on the 18,000 km system.
The partnership comes as Indonesia accelerates its digital transformation efforts, including achieving ‘Indonesia Merdeka Sinyal 4G’ by the end of 2022, where 4G services will be available in all regions across Indonesia, including in the 3G areas, while expanding 5G networks as the foundation for future solutions. The construction of the ACC-1, which will provide up to a 240 Tbps network throughout the system, will allow Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison to provide a broader network, especially for eastern Indonesia, and increase network capacity for Business-to-Consumer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B) services throughout Indonesia.
Chief Technology Officer of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, Desmond Cheung, said, “This partnership allows Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison to be an exclusive landing partner for the Inligo Submarine network, providing high-capacity connectivity within Indonesia and the rest of the Pacific region, including the potential to reduce costs in developing advanced connectivity reaching the eastern part of Indonesia and increase our incremental revenue in wholesale telecommunication services. The partnership is also in line with our long-term commitment in accelerating Indonesia’s digital transformation agenda as we believe it must be underpinned by a sophisticated submarine cable system like the ACC-1.”
Affairs and Fisheries Number 14 of 2021 on the Submarine Pipelines and Cable Systems. The law regulates how a foreign company must partner with an Indonesian licensed telco company in establishing the international submarine networks through Indonesian territory. The law contains a list of 43 underwater pipeline segments, 217 underwater cable line segments, and 209 BMH (Beach Main Hole), including four designated landing stations located in Batam, Kupang, Manado, and Jayapura.
The Inligo Networks ACC-1 mega project will begin construction in 2022, with the first route connecting Singapore, Batam, and Jakarta. In mid-2023, subsea telecommunications cables will be constructed from Medan, Makassar, Kupang, Dili (Timor Leste) to Darwin (Australia), followed by the construction from Manado, to Guam by the end of 2023. The project is expected to be completed in 2024, connecting Guam to Los Angeles (United States), and fully connecting Southeast Asia, Australia, the Pacific, and the United States.
Chairman of Inligo Networks, Brian Evans, said, “Indonesia has a great opportunity to become a digital powerhouse of Southeast Asia. Our collaboration with Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison will drive better connectivity and functionality within Indonesia, across Southeast Asia, and the Pacific region. As a submarine cable network plays a vital part in connecting the Indonesian archipelagos, the partnership will increase data traffic, facilitate data transfer, internet access, and cloud storage which has now become an integral part of increasingly digital society and digital nations.”
“Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison has the competitive advantage to attract more strategic partners across industries to drive collaborations that create more business opportunities and accelerate Indonesia’s digital transformation. We believe that this partnership is aligned with our mission to deliver world-class digital experiences, connecting and empowering every Indonesian,” concluded Desmond.