Jayapura (ANTARA) - State-owned PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) is preparing a special vessel to repair a broken submarine cable that has disrupted networks in South and Central Papua.

Telkom Regional V Executive Vice President Amin Soebagyo said in Jayapura on Monday that the repair will be carried out in two stages at separate coordinate points.

"The work will begin with a special vessel brought from Makassar Port to assess the cable's condition and location, load new cables, retrieve old ones, conduct testing, and reconnect them," he said.

The first stage is temporary and scheduled for the first week of September.

"We are preparing the equipment, and the ship is expected to arrive at the coordinate point in early September. Once the temporary repair is done, all communication services should return to normal," Soebagyo explained.

The second stage, which will be permanent, is planned for mid-September.

"During the permanent repair, service degradation will occur twice: once at the start for one day and again at the end for two days. The full process is expected to be completed by the third week of September," he added.

Before finalizing the permanent connections, the network system will undergo full-traffic testing to ensure no other faults remain.

Telkom, Indonesia's largest telecom provider, said broadband services had declined following an August 16 disruption.

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