BRCS (2)

Several days ago, I was unintentionally delivered to pak/bu yudhi's blog, where I found an official route map for BRCS. The following picture shows BRCS cable compared to its competitor (or friend ? :-D) : MIC-1 cable. This is also intended as a revision of my old-post where I mentioned BRCS.

Telkom's Batam Singapore Cable (BSCS?)

This post is to continue and formalize this conversation, since it would be easier to update this as more information regarding this system is available.

As of now, the only official information can be found for this system is as follows:

• Contractor: NEC Corp.
• Contract signed on March 2008
• CAPEX: USD 13.1 mn
  

Inofficial, according to pak Meneer, Telkom will use this cable to connect to the new AAG cable.

Telkom's Backbone

Several times ago, I mentioned Telkom's national backbone in this post. According to records published by KOMINFO, as of Q4/2005 Telkom owns 10,816 km fiber optic cable. The backbone network is distributed as follows:

• Surabaya-Banjarmasin-Makassar : 2,088 km (constructed in 2000)
• Trans-Java : 2,605 km (2000)
• Jakarta-Medan-Batam: 2,990 km (2004)
• Batam-Singapore-Bangkok: 1,043 km (2004)
• Dumai-Melaka: 161 km (2005)
• Banjarmasin-Balikpapan : 955 km (2005)
• Makassar-Palu: 974 km (2005)

Palapa Ring (6)

Below are some updates for the Palapa Ring project as of September 2008. It seems that there are some route adjustments; and that now the project schedule is more realistic, taking into account current market situations.

• 2 FP for repeatered system
• 12 FP for inland and repeaterless system
• Construction begin on April 2009;
  
• RFS final (all segments) on September 2011
• Section 1 Mataram - Parigi
  
• Section 2 Palu-Sorong
  
• Section 3 Makassar-Sorong
  
• Section 4 Makassar-Mataram/Kupang
  
• Section 5 Sorong-Jayapura
  
• Section 6 Fakfak-Merauke
  

Jakarta (IP) Bandwidth Price

I followed some traces left by Pak Meneer and was delivered to his records at Opisboy. This is claimed to be an "Informal ISP Technical ( dir-pji-like :p )" forum. Comments ? :-D Well, for non-local readers, "dir-pji" could be understood as "indonesian ISP Executives/VIPs" or as the forum of ISPs' owners/high-rank officials. It is "dir-pji-like" ? Personally, I would say "better-than-dir-pji" :-D Reasons? he..he..he. Don't take it seriously or even start thinking about that!! :-D

Back to bandwidth. According to Pak Meneer, the condition is as follows:

Jakarta Metro Backbone

It seems that everybody in Jakarta want to have his own metro :-) Currently many companies have built their metro infrastructure to support their business, particularly in big cities such as the Greater Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Bandung etc. These include :

• well known telcos (TELKOM/TSEL, ISAT, XL, other?)
• successfull ISPs (BizNET,CBN, other?)
• VSAT network operators (CSM, Lintasarta, other ?); and
• backbone operators (ICON+,PowerTel,Napinfo,Moratel, other ?)

Recently, PT. iForte Solusi Infotek announced, that they have finished the construction of their fiber optic network which is using (and installed simultaneously with the development of) the TransJakarta busway infrastructure (map see below). They currently offer connection/access services called M-Wifo which are basically WiFi (802.11n compatible) access and fiber bridging. To my guess, it might be a RoF (Radio over Fiber) system.

How Much Bandwidth do Indonesian ISPs Have ?

Though there are many Internet and NAP service providers running their business since several years ago, "big Internet pipes" are only owned by the (former-telco-only) giants: Indosat, Telkom, Excelcomindo, and Telkomsel. They may have a total international IP bandwidth more than 1 Gbps. Unfortunately, as usual :-D I don't have complete, official, clear, and confirmable numbers for that. Maybe next time, I would come with a simple calculation using several rough statistics found in the media and balanced with some cases (personal experiences).

PT. Power Telecom (PowerTel)

Is there any relation between PowerTel Indonesia and PowerTel New Zealand/Australia ? Honestly I've just heard about this company a few months ago and about last week I was quite surprised when several media quoted the company press release that they are ready to offer services in Jakarta Bandung and that they are in the last stage of the preparation of Java-wide fiber optic infrastructure. Well, "Gut gemacht! Gratuliere!"

Facts and quotes:

Mobile Network Coverage : Telkomsel

As of Q2 2008 PT. Telekomunikasi Selular (Telkomsel/TSEL) operates 23,056 BTSs (including 3G) and serves 52.44 mn subscribers (4% postpaid, 96% prepaid). 4.55 mn of those are new customers this year. As of Q2 2008 TSEL customers spent totally 32.1 bn MoU (Minutes of Use), which is equivalent to 178+ mn MoU each day. It is claimed that the current TSEL network can handle up to 54.8 mn subscribers.

PGASKOM (PGAS Telekomunikasi Nusantara)

It is not easy to find information for PGASKOM's backbone. PGASKOM is subsidiary of PGN (Perusahaan Gas Negara) which provides connection services using its fiber optic infrastructure currently installed along its gas pipes spanning from SG/Batam to Southern Sumatera (in the near future to Cilegon Banten and maybe to Jakarta). In an indirect press release several times ago as recorded by local newspapers (detik.com/bisnis?), PGASKOM shall have 96 core / 24 core fiber for terrestrial and submarine segments, respectively. Several cores shall already be leased by (some incumbent) telcos. Anybody knows more ??

Excelcomindo's Backbone

As of Q4/2006, Excelcomindo has installed and operated more than 2,300 km submarine and more than 5,500 km terrestrial fiber optic cable. This information can be used to check or balance my former calculation (however this was for Q4/2007, since it is based on the information from Kominfo on that time frame). I'm just thinking to derive a progress factor, something like fiber deployment rate each year each operator (km/year), just to have a rough metric for measuring operators' progressivity. Whether somebody out there (in Kominfo or in the operators) is already doing this??

Mobile Network Coverage

How many BTSs are needed to completely cover a city on average? 50 ? 100 ? more/less ? If each operator has its own tower, then it would be 250 to 500 towers in a city (assuming there are 5 operators, 1 BTS each tower).

Around two years ago, when I came back from Germany after several years leaving, almost every 1 minute or maybe less of my trip from Jakarta to Bandung (also inside the cities) I saw a BTS tower!! Several times later people told me that indeed due to "cellular wars", our cities have turned into "Hutan BTS" (BTS forrests). Well this is the fact. This might:

Highlight Three HCPT (Hutchison)

PT Hutchison CP Telecommunications Indonesia (HCPT) delivers its services under the brand "Three". It is the same brand as marketed in other countries by Hutchison group.

HCPT has started its operation by March 2007. As of August 2008, they claimed that they build approx. 6,000 BTS till Q4/2008 and currently serve 3.2 mn subscribers in Java, Bali and Sumatera (20% of the total customers of Hutchison group). They expect that they overtake Bakrie Telecom as the country's fourth largest cellular/mobile operator in 2009.

Indosat's Backbone (2)

I've just found another version of Indosat's backbone. For me it looks a bit better than the previous one, though some links might still be not so accurate.

Palapa Ring (5)

The last non-incumbent member of Palapa Ring consortium, PT. Powertek Utama Internusa has indirectly cancelled its membership (update to this post) . Thus the consortium currently consists of the four-biggest telcos:

• PT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom)
• PT. Indosat
• PT. Excelcomindo Pratama
• PT. Bakrie Telecom
  

First Generation Domestic Optical Cable Systems

PT. Indosat has begun to deploy submarine cables since 1985 (optical?). PT. Telkom on the other side has stated that the TIS cable is its first optical submarine cable system.

Recently, according to ASN record, Telkom has already deployed an optical submarine cable system in 90s. Which is true ? Is it only the matter that TIS is international while the other is domestic ?

Jakasusi, Jasutra & SKKL-JS

Below are several domestic submarine fiber optic cable systems owned by PT. Indosat.

Jakasusi (JAva KAlimantan SUlaweSI) :

• Jakasusi segment 1 (B1) connects Banyu Urip (Jawa Timur) to Takesung (Kalimantan Selatan)
• Jakasusi segment 2 (B2) connects Takesung (Kalsel) to Aeng Batu Batu (Sulawesi Selatan)
• Length 1,000 km
• CAPEX USD 40 mio.
• Construction period : March 2006 - October 2006
• Contractor : Alcatel (ASN)
• Subcontractors :EGS Asia Ltd (route survey, burial assessment survey - February 2006)
  
• Capacity : ?

Highlight XL (Excelcomindo)

In this new "Highlight" thread, I would archieve some actual facts (of my interest) related to indonesian telcos/ISPs.

Currently, XL (Excelcomindo Pratama) is the third largest telco in the country. This is currently justified if we look at the customer base and some financial performances of the company. The current champion is Telkom Group (inc. Telkomsel) while the "vize" champion is Indosat Group. The position might change in the (near) future, especially since XL "moves" quite progressive after TM acquisition and after the former Indosat CEO Hasnul Suhaimi leads this company.

International IP Bandwidth

Currently I have only some official information specific to Indosat. This was presented by Indosat several times ago (Apricot 2006 Bali ??). However, it belongs to the "biggest" pipes owned by indonesian ISPs.

Indosat's IP Transit Bandwidth:

Can Broadband Spread to the Masses?

In this post, I just want to archieve some facts and opinions given by Arjun Trivedi (NSN-Nokia Siemens Networks) in the first Indonesian Broadband Summit held last April in Jakarta. The title above is taken from Arjun Trivedi's slides, since to my opinion, that title describes the most important message from his presentation. (I was not attending this event and just found his presentation material through a link referred from Mastel website). But don't forget to balance the question with "Where are the Masses?" :-)

Some facts/statistics as of end 2007 (source UN, Ovum, ITU, BIS Sharapnel, Operators, NSN Market Intelligence):