Internet Disruption Traced to Seabed at Indonesia’s Edge
The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, through the Telecommunications and Information Accessibility Agency (Bakti), has added bandwidth capacity for the Satria-1 satellite as a mitigation measure during the restoration of the Palapa Ring undersea cable’s Tahuna-Melonguane segment. The added capacity ranges from 50 to 150 Mbps across 154 service access points. Coordination with mobile operators is also underway to ensure connectivity is maintained at various public service locations and vital sites.
Director of Digital Infrastructure Control at the Ministry’s Directorate General of Digital Infrastructure, Indra Maulana, stated the government is prioritising service continuity while overseeing the restoration process. “All operational manoeuvres and the use of subsea equipment must be executed with extreme precision. We must be cautious to safeguard the security and reliability of existing telecommunications infrastructure around the work area,” Indra said in an official statement.
Acting Director of Bakti Infrastructure, Darien Aldiano, said the entire team is working flat out to accelerate network recovery despite challenges posed by extreme weather and seabed characteristics. “We apologise for this schedule adjustment. Although facing weather challenges and extreme seabed characteristics, the entire technical team continues to strive maximally. Work is carried out by prioritising safety aspects and network reliability so that services can return to normal as soon as possible,” Darien said.
The work has encountered several challenges. Dynamic marine weather conditions and the close proximity of the work to the active Ondong Siau-Tahuna cable corridor mean the process must be undertaken with a high degree of precision. Furthermore, the technical team is contending with a seabed dominated by rocks and steep contours, requiring extra caution to ensure work safety and the quality of the restoration outcome. Under these conditions, the planned work completion target of 28 May to 2 June 2026 has been extended to 6 June 2026. The Ministry will continue to oversee the restoration process until completion, ensuring that the people of Sangihe and Sitaro have reliable communication access and digital services.