Telin and BW Digital land NCC subsea cable in Batam

Details: John Tanner; Category: Optical & Fixed Networks; 21 July 2026; 548 views

Telkom Indonesia’s international arm Telin and BW Digital announced on Monday that they have successfully landed the Nongsa Changi Cable (NCC) linking Singapore and Indonesia at Nongsa Digital Park (NDP).

First announced in July 2024, the 50-km NCC subsea cable is designed with a minimum of 24 fibre pairs that will provide more than 1.6 Pbps (petabits per second) of new capacity between Changi and Batam. Telin and BW Digital said the cable will enable seamless connectivity between data centres in both countries with less than 2-ms latency to support rapidly growing demand for cloud services, hyperscale platforms, AI and data centre interconnection across the region.

“This strategic infrastructure not only strengthens Indonesia’s digital connectivity and resilience, but also provides greater route diversity and enhanced connectivity for Singapore as a regional digital hub, creating mutual benefits for both countries,” said Telkom Indonesia president director Dian Siswarini in a statement.

The NCC cable is one of two 24-pair subsea systems being built to connect Indonesia and Singapore. Telin and Singtel are constructing the Indonesia Singapore Cable System (INSICA), although that system will connect Batam to Tuas instead of Changi.

The NCC is also designed as part of Telin’s Indonesia Cable Express (ICE) subsea cable project, revealed in September 2023, that aims to build seven separate cable systems connecting Indonesia to all potential markets by 2028, said Budi Satria Dharma Purba, Telkom’s wholesale and international service director.

“Together with future ICE developments, it will strengthen international connectivity, support AI-ready digital infrastructure, and provide greater network resilience for enterprises, hyperscalers, and digital businesses across the region,” he said.

BW Digital CEO Ludovic Hutier added that the NCC is also a critical component of BW Digital’s broader digital ecosystem, which includes Citra Connect’s terrestrial fibre network and NDP1 144MW data centre campus in Batam.

“Together with Telin, we are creating a future-ready connectivity platform that supports the region’s accelerating demand for cloud, AI, and data center services,” he said.

Batam has become a key destination for subsea cables alongside its growing role as a data centre hub for Indonesia. In December, Digital Realty signed a deal with BW Digital to connect the NCC directly to its SIN12 data centre in Batam.

At the landing ceremony on Monday, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said that the data centre industry in Batam has grown around 22% year on year, outpacing the national average growth of 19%.

"Batam is rapidly emerging as a new gateway to Indonesia,” he said, according to government news agency Antara. “The incoming investment shows this region's growing importance in the regional digital ecosystem.”

“At Nongsa Digital Park, we are bringing together connectivity, data centers, cloud platforms, AI innovation, digital talent, and global enterprises into one integrated hub,” added NDP CEO Mike Wiluan. “NDP is now officially a new destination point for domestic and international subsea fibre optic cables, and we look forward to welcoming more in the near future.”