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The Struggle to Lay Cables for the East Palapa Ring Project in Papua

Bintuni Bay | May 14, 2018 Bintuni Bay, KOMPAS.com - Of the entire Palapa Ring project, the most challenging part is the deployment of the East Palapa Ring fiber optic cable. In addition to having to pass through deep seas, the cable must also be laid through forests and mountains. Furthermore, there are segments of the land-based fiber optic cable that must traverse conflict-prone areas. The cable deployment team must be courageous and fully prepared, especially given the potential for attacks from the Free Papua Movement (OPM), which sometimes operates along the route.

Benyamin Sembiring, General Manager of Project Implementation at PT Palapa Timur Telematika (PTT), spoke about the challenges he faced while deploying the East Palapa Ring fiber optic cable in mainland Papua.

"The challenge of installing the optical cable (East Palapa Ring) is that it's mostly on land. Because it has to pass through red lines, it also requires armed Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) escorts. We once had up to six people escorting the cable," said the man familiarly known as Ben, in Bintuni Bay, Friday (May 11, 2018).

He said the cable installation on land in West Papua tends to be smooth and safe because it doesn't cross conflict-prone areas. However, when it comes to West Papua, including the route from Nabire to Timika, Merauke to Tanah Merah.

"Before starting, we consulted with the TNI and others about the situation. Then we were given a brief. The message was, 'If you hear gunfire on the route flanked by valleys, run towards the forest and the hills.' We wanted to install the fiber optic cable, but the brief sounded like we were going to war," Ben recounted. "We're also ready to be escorted by snipers. Just in case we encounter those 'three-letter groups' (red-OPM)," he added.

He was grateful that despite the tight security while deploying fiber optic cables in mainland Papua, everything went through safely. Previously, PTT had completed the installation of 50 percent of the land-based fiber optic cables in the East Palapa Ring project. On Friday (May 11, 2018), the first submarine fiber optic cable deployment for the Teluk Bintuni Tangguh segment also began.

Concurrently with this initial deployment, PTT also began pulling cables to connect the sea segment with the land segment. The entire project is expected to be completed by the end of 2018 and ready for operation.

Once fully connected, the East package is planned to reach 35 regencies or cities, spanning the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara (2 regencies), Maluku (3 regencies), Papua (23 regencies), and West Papua (7 regencies). The total network length reaches 8,454 km, with 50 percent being submarine fiber optic cables, 45 percent terrestrial fiber optic cables, and 5 percent microwave links.

News and image sources: Kompas