NTT 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake Knocks Out Hundreds of BTS: These Areas Worst Affected

The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) has confirmed that monitoring and restoration of telecommunications networks is continuing in coordination with mobile operators following the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck the island of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) on Saturday, 15 August 2026.

The NTT earthquake occurred at 05.58 WITA (04.58 WIB) with its epicentre northeast of Mbay, Nagekeo Regency. Based on monitoring by mobile operators through the dashboard monitoring system up to 07.00 WIB, a total of 200 sites or BTS were identified as experiencing disruption across 10 regencies and cities.

“A total of 16.35 percent of BTS in the identified affected areas are experiencing disruption. Komdigi continues to monitor network conditions and coordinate directly with mobile operators to ensure disruptions can be addressed promptly. The safety of personnel and public access to telecommunications are the primary considerations in the inspection and restoration process in the field,” said Director General of Digital Infrastructure at Komdigi, Wayan Toni Supriyanto.

From the interim monitoring results, three mobile operators—Telkomsel, XLsmart, and Indosat—have confirmed impacts on their networks in several areas.

On the Telkomsel network, a number of BTS experienced disruption due to power supply interruptions in the areas affected by the NTT earthquake. XLsmart also reported service disruptions, particularly in areas close to the earthquake epicentre. Meanwhile, Indosat is still conducting intensive monitoring through its technical teams.

In addition to power supply disruptions, coordination with mobile operators indicates damage to transmission networks as a result of the earthquake. Details of the telecommunications infrastructure conditions in each regency/city are as follows:

Sikka Regency: 51 sites/BTS affected out of 192 existing BTS, or 26.56 percent.

Ende Regency: 31 sites/BTS affected out of 118 existing BTS, or 26.27 percent.

East Flores Regency: 26 sites/BTS affected out of 161 existing BTS, or 16.15 percent.

Manggarai Regency: 22 sites/BTS affected out of 150 existing BTS, or 14.67 percent.

West Manggarai Regency: 17 sites/BTS affected out of 141 existing BTS, or 12.06 percent.

East Manggarai Regency: 16 sites/BTS affected out of 80 existing BTS, or 20 percent.

Ngada Regency: 13 sites/BTS affected out of 101 existing BTS, or 12.87 percent.

Nagekeo Regency: 11 sites/BTS affected out of 73 existing BTS, or 15.07 percent.

Lembata Regency: 10 sites/BTS affected out of 73 existing BTS, or 13.70 percent.

North Central Timor Regency: 3 sites/BTS affected out of 134 existing BTS, or 2.24 percent.