Telkom Indonesia’s international arm Telin said it has signed an MoU with Malaysian engineering company ITCO Niaga to collaborate on planning and development of the Indonesia Cable Express II (ICE II) subsea cable system that now includes landing stations in eastern Malaysia.
Telin’s ICE programme, revealed in September 2023, aims to build seven separate cable systems connecting Indonesia to Japan, the US, the Middle East, Europe, and Australasia by the end of 2028. As part of that programme, ICE II was initially planned to connect Singapore to Manado in North Sulawesi, with additional links to Batam, Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar, and Balikpapan.
During the MoU signing on Thursday at Telin’s BATIC 2025 conference in Bali, Telin said ICE II will now extend to Tawau on the east coast of the Malaysian state of Sabah, with additional links planned for Sabah in Sandakan, Kudat and Kota Kinabalu.
Telin said ICE II will establish a new eastward route for southeast Asia through Manado as an alternative to the South China Sea corridor, which will enhance the resilience of the region’s telecoms networks, mitigate congestion risks, and provides scalable capacity to support accelerating regional demand for cloud computing, digital services and enterprise connectivity.
”ICE II will not only deepen connectivity between Indonesia and Singapore but also foster greater regional integration by extending connectivity to East Malaysia,” said Telin product chief of Azmal Yahya in a statement.
Anita Aqeela Hiong, MD for ITCO Niaga, said ICE II promises to significantly reinforce Sabah’s digital backbone, which in turn will stimulate investment opportunities, empower local enterprises and improve internet access for communities.
“Our collaboration with Telin on ICE II marks a strategic step toward Malaysia’s digital transformation objectives, particularly for Sabah,” she said in a statement. “Enhanced connectivity will drive socio-economic growth, broaden digital inclusivity, and increase the region’s competitiveness.”
The MoU with ITCO Niaga comes a year after Telin signed a strategic partnership with Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison to develop ICE II.
In July 2024, Telin revealed it is partnering with BW Digital to develop and construct the Nongsa-Changi subsea cable system across the Singapore Strait, linking data centres in Batam and Changi, as part of the ICE system.
In February 2024, Telin formed a consortium with Telecom Egypt and UAE-based e& Carrier & Wholesale Services to develop the ICE IV Project that aims to interconnect Indonesia and Singapore to India, Oman, Egypt, and the UAE.
