Singtel and Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (Telin) today announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop a new submarine cable system connecting Singapore and Batam, Indonesia, under the newly formed INSICA (Indonesia Singapore Cable System) Consortium. When operational in the fourth quarter of 2026, the 100-km INSICA cable system will support the surge in data center telecommunications traffic between Singapore and Batam.
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MoU Signed for INSICA
INSICA will feature a 24-fibre pair subsea cable and two diverse terrestrial cable paths, offering a maximum capacity of up to 20 terabits per second per fibre pair, the joint statement said. According to Telin, the new link provided by INSICA will enhance network protection and reliability, ensuring uninterrupted 24/7 operations for data centers.
"The global submarine cable market is poised for unprecedented growth over the next decade, positioning Batam and Singapore as prime locations for data center investments. The INSICA submarine cable will address the critical need for data center interconnectivity among these key strategic locations," said Telin.
Enhanced Connectivity
Singtel added, "Batam is emerging as a prime location for data centers due to its close proximity to Singapore. With this cable system, we'll be able to enhance the connectivity between the countries to support the intensive, higher power density AI workloads of enterprises and cloud companies. 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."
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Support for Emerging Technologies
The direct connectivity between data centers will also support the deployment of emerging technologies, such as the Internet of Things, robotics, AI, and data analytics, all of which require high bandwidth and low latency for commercial-scale and real-time applications.
Telin's infrastructure spans 250,140 kilometers of cable system length, incorporating 27 global submarine cable systems, and operates 58 Points of Presence in 26 countries.
