TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Telecommunications provider PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia, also known as Telkom signed a consortium deal to build submarine cable that will connect Manado with Los Angeles. The project, dubbed the South East Asia-United State (SEA-US), is done through PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (Telin).

Telin president director Syarial Sharif Ahmad signed the deal with representatives from the consortium at Jakarta's Kempinski Hotel, Thursday, August 28.

Telkom CEO Arief Yahya said the project will bring about the Indonesia Global Networks connecting global communications by developing the SEA-ME-WE 5 and SEA-US. "This is a historic moment for Indonesia," he told reporters.

According to Arief, the SEA-US is the first submarine cable project connecting eastern Indonesia with the United States.

The SEA-US is a submarine cable system of some 15,000 kilometers in length, stretching from Indonesia to the United States. The cable will connect five areas and territories, namely Manado (Indonesia), Davao (Philippines), Piti (Guam), Oahu (Hawaii, US), and Los Angeles (California, US).

According to Arief, the SEA-US submarine cable will not be laid upon volcanic areas or the faulting of the earth, so there is a small chance that it will be affected by natural disasters such as earthquakes. The SEA-US submarine cable will start operating in 2016.

PRIO HARI KRISTANTO