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SINGTEL : Z74 0% has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Indonesian carrier services provider Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (Telin) to develop a submarine cable system connecting Singapore and Batam.

The project, carried out under a consortium called Indonesia Singapore Cable System (Insica), will develop the 100-km-long cable system, expected to be operational in Q4 2026.

It will feature a 24-fibre-pair subsea cable, along with two diverse terrestrial cable paths. Each fibre pair will have a maximum capacity of up to 20 terabits per second.

On Friday (May 31), Singtel and Telin said this is expected to deliver “exceptional bandwidth, seamless connectivity and robust network security”, while enabling efficient resource-sharing and scalability.

Both parties added that Insica’s diverse link will enhance network protection and reliability, which will ensure 24/7 operations for data centres.

Direct connectivity between data centres is further expected to support the deployment of emerging technologies that require high bandwidth and low latency for commercial-scale and real-time applications.

Examples of such emerging technologies include the Internet of Things, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics.

Ooi Seng Keat, vice-president of digital infrastructure and services at Singtel, said: “With this cable system, we’ll enhance the connectivity between the countries to support the intensive, higher-power-density AI workloads of enterprises and cloud companies.”

While Telin chief Budi Satria Dharma Purba said both Batam and Singapore are “prime locations” for data centre investments, Ooi noted that Batam was “emerging as a prime location” for data centres because of its closeness to Singapore.

Ooi said: “The development of the Insica cable system is yet another step that we’re taking in architecting a hyper-connected, digital ecosystem to serve the long-term demands of the region’s digital future and boost the regional economy.”