A 6,870km submarine cable system connecting Indonesia's eastern, central and western regions is expected to be ready for service by the end of 2028, according to the consortium building it.

The Synergy Gateways of Indonesia (SGI) Cable System will carry 16 fiber pairs with a total system capacity of 25Tbit/s and a design lifespan of 25 years. Sinergi Inti Andalian Prima — referred to as INET — leads the consortium, which includes FiberHome Technologies Indonesia, Solusi Sinergi Digital (Surge), Nokia, Sarana Global Indonesia and Japan's NTT Group through its joint venture with Surge, Weave.

Where will the cable land?

The system will have 14 landing points across the archipelago, connecting:

• Jakarta and Pontianak in the west
• Pangkalan Bun, Banjarmasin, Balikpapan and Banyu Urip in the center
• Singaraja, Mataram, Makassar, Palu, Manado, Bitung, Ambon and Sorong to the east

Indonesia's geography makes submarine cables a necessity rather than an option. The country's population is spread across thousands of islands, and national traffic between urban centers, data facilities and telecommunications infrastructure depends on extensive subsea and terrestrial links.

The consortium frames the investment as capacity for future demand rather than pure transport. It points to growing needs from data centers, cloud computing, AI and digital services as the rationale for a 25Tbit/s domestic backbone.

Who does what in the consortium?

Roles are split along clear commercial lines. Sarana Global Indonesia will develop and deploy the subsea cable system under a memorandum of understanding signed two weeks ago, with INET acting as primary financial sponsor and anchor capacity user.

• FiberHome: technology partner and submarine cable system supplier
• Nokia: optical network technology provider
• Surge: capacity user supporting its broadband services
• NTT Group (via Weave): backbone connectivity and capacity distribution

The project also marks INET's move into digital connectivity infrastructure. The company acquired 60% of Sarana Global Indonesia for 280.4 billion Indonesian rupiah (US$15.65 million), according to the announcement.

What does SGI mean for Indonesia's regional position?

Although the SGI Cable System is primarily domestic, it connects to international gateways. The consortium argues this positions Indonesia as a strategic transit point in the Indo-Pacific, strengthening its role in the global digital economy beyond that of a connectivity consumer. That claim reflects vendor and operator marketing language; the transit ambitions will depend on the international gateway partnerships and capacity uptake that follow.

"We are not just laying a submarine cable. We are laying the foundation for Indonesia's next digital chapter," INET president director Muhammad Arif said in a LinkedIn post.

"SGI Cable System is our commitment to building stronger, more resilient, and future-ready digital infrastructure—connecting Indonesia closer to the world and creating new capacity for the exponential growth of data, cloud, and AI," Arif added.

What comes next?

The project's next significant milestone is receipt of wet-plant materials by September 2027. Marine installation and system commissioning will then follow in successive phases, leading to the targeted ready-for-service date in late 2028.