Indonesian partner Telin named but Indian telco partner has not been named despite being at the signing
Serial cable announcers E& and Telecom Egypt have joined forces with Indonesia’s Telin and a major, unnamed Indian operator to launch the Indonesian Cable Express (ICE) IV 11,000km undersea cable project that will interconnect Indonesia and Singapore to India, Oman, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.
Billed as a data centre to data system, the operators promise the cable will feature a new route, further enhancing redundancy between the intra-Asia region to India and the Middle East. That route will see the cable pass through the Sunda Strait and become the first international cable to land in Kochi, India in decades – offering an alternate resilient route and new international gateway.
Although the Indian partner hasn’t been named, it seems likely to be one of two carriers. The first is Tata Communications because owns the Cable Landing Station where the SMW3 and SAFE cables already land. The second contender is Indian state-owned telco Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) which only last month worked with NEC to finish the deployment of the 1870km Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Cable (KLI) connecting the port city to 11 Lakshadweep islands off the coast. Middle Eastern press appeared to suggest the partner was “India Telecom” which would make BSNL more likely.
Terrestrial extensions being considered also include links between the Middle East and Egypt and between Kochi and Chennai, together making this ICE IV Project unique, according to the partners. The target ready for service date is Q4, 2027.
Redefining the map
Nabil Baccouche, e& Group Chief Carrier and Wholesale Officer said: “With ICE IV Project, we’re redefining the connectivity map, bringing continents closer than ever before, and unlocking bandwidth access for billions of people,” said e& group chief carrier wholesale officer Nabil Baccouche.
“With our commitment to making SmartHub a location of choice as one of the largest neutral carrier hub, the ICE IV Project will further accelerate connectivity. The new DC to DC system will enable us to increase capabilities and global capacity further to meet the evolving requirements of customers across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Americas,” he added.
Telecom Egypt managing director and CEO Mohamed Nasr said “We are providing open-access to more than 20 subsea cables landing in Egypt with unique, diverse landing and state-of-the-art transit international infrastructure that will be part of the planned design. Furthermore, ICE IV Project will enable us to extend our footprint and further diversify our subsea infrastructure portfolio to promptly address the ever-growing demand for global connectivity.”
Telin CEO Budi Satria Dharma Purba said he wanted to envision Indonesia as the future hub in the Indo-Pacific region. “We can create new opportunities for all ICE cable systems by integrating it with relevant countries and systems,” he said. “Indonesian Cable Express will be the bridge. The Telin ICE initiative ensures an efficient cost structure and faster deployment.”
He added: “The ICE program involves seven separate cable systems connecting Indonesia to all potential markets. During the next five years, the system deployment will start, each adhering to four fundamental principles: DC to DC access, ultra low latency, different landings and unique routes.”
The Indian executive smiled and nodded in agreement.
Pictured: (above, left) e&’s Nabil Baccouche; (second from right) Telecom Egypt’s Seif Mounib; and (above,right) Telin CEO Budi Satria Dharma Purba sign the MoU for ICE IV. The unnamed Indian executive (second from left) also signed.