• Telkominfra will install, operate and maintain Transcelestial's CENTAURI optical wireless links for customers in Indonesia
  • Initial customer engagements and proof-of-concept deployments will test where laser links can provide interim, permanent or backup connectivity

The fact

Telkominfra and Transcelestial said on 8 September that they will offer Transcelestial's CENTAURI optical wireless system in Indonesia as a managed infrastructure service. Telkominfra will handle implementation, operations, and maintenance for customers.

The system sends data between two points over a line-of-sight laser link, avoiding fibre trenching, and spectrum licensing. The companies are working on initial customer engagements and proof-of-concept deployments covering mobile backhaul, enterprise and campus networks, remote access, smart-city projects and disaster recovery.

Transcelestial says CENTAURI can support speeds of up to 10Gbps. IT Brief reported that more than 40 links are already deployed in Indonesia, including at Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport. Those existing installations predate the new managed-service partnership and should not be treated as Telkominfra deployments. Future links could provide interim connectivity while fibre is being built, or remain as permanent or backup routes.

The assessment

The partnership gives customers a simpler way to use Transcelestial's laser links. Instead of buying the equipment and arranging installation and support separately, they can use Telkominfra to deploy, operate and maintain the connection. That could be useful for a mobile or enterprise site that is ready to go but is still waiting for fibre construction.

The benefit will depend on the individual route. A laser link needs a clear line of sight between the two sites and still has to meet the customer's requirements for capacity and availability. Early proof-of-concept deployments therefore need to test performance on the actual route, not just demonstrate that the technology works.

For BTW readers, these links could help some sites come online before fibre is ready. Once fibre arrives, the customer then has a choice: remove the laser connection, keep it as a backup route or continue using both where that makes operational sense.

What to watch

Watch for named customer deployments that report installation time, link distance and measured performance under real operating conditions. The resulting contracts should also show whether customers use CENTAURI temporarily while waiting for fibre or retain the optical route as permanent or backup infrastructure after fibre becomes available.