Asian Angle | Indonesia’s digital 2045 ambition rests on a fragile seabed spine
With few domestic repair ships and convoluted laws, Indonesia struggles to safeguard the 115,000km of cables powering its digital future
While most cable breakages stem from wear and tear, natural causes or accidents, recent years have seen growing concerns of intentional damage. Between 2023 and 2025, at least 11 incidents of cable damage occurred in the Indo-Pacific, particularly near Taiwan. Although some were attributed to natural or accidental causes, there is growing suspicion of deliberate attacks on communications infrastructure.
Indonesia’s ambition to become a leading digital economy by 2045 depends on its capacity to secure its sprawling network of submarine cables. The country’s seabed is criss-crossed by 217 cable segments, spanning a total of 115,104km (71,522 miles).
Several past incidents highlight vulnerabilities, however. The primary threats to Indonesia’s undersea infrastructure come from human activities such as fishing and anchor damage. Intentional attacks are rare and none have been linked to state actors. Even so, proving criminal intent would be difficult.
As the importance of these cables rises, so do the risks. Indonesia faces regulatory and operational weaknesses that undermine the resilience of its submarine cable systems.
The country’s regulatory framework for laying, maintaining and decommissioning submarine cables is fragmented and convoluted. This has resulted in an undersea mess of cables laid in protected marine reserves and busy fishing zones, increasing the risk of damage.