Sistem Kabel Rakyat 1Malaysia (SKR1M)

Overview

Sistem Kabel Rakyat 1Malaysia (SKR1M) is a domestic submarine cable system serving Malaysia. Spanning approximately 3,800 kilometres, the cable connects multiple landing points across Peninsular Malaysia and the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo. As an entirely intra-national system, SKR1M supports connectivity between the geographically dispersed parts of Malaysia, bridging the South China Sea between the Malaysian peninsula and Malaysian Borneo.

Route and Landings

SKR1M has six landing points, all located within Malaysia. On the Malay Peninsula, the cable lands at Cherating, Mersing. On the island of Borneo, landings are located at Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, and Miri, covering the states of Sabah and Sarawak.

Ownership and Operators

SKR1M is jointly owned by TIME dotCom and Telekom Malaysia. Telekom Malaysia is the country's principal fixed-line and broadband operator, while TIME dotCom is a publicly listed Malaysian telecommunications company providing network and connectivity services. Together, they hold ownership of this domestic cable system.

Status and Timeline

SKR1M was declared ready for service in 2017, making it an active submarine cable system currently in operation.

Regional Context

Malaysia is served by a range of international submarine cable systems, many of them spanning intercontinental distances. Systems such as Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1), the Asia-America Gateway (AAG), APCN-2, and the Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) connect Malaysia to destinations across Asia, the Pacific, and beyond, with lengths ranging from roughly 10,000 to 25,000 kilometres. SeaMeWe-6, with a ready-for-service date of 2026, will add further international capacity, while Project Waterworth represents an even larger planned system. SKR1M occupies a distinct position within this landscape: at 3,800 kilometres, it is a purely domestic system, focused on connecting the separated landmasses of Malaysia rather than extending outward to international destinations.

Strategic Role

By linking landing points on the Malay Peninsula with multiple sites in Sabah and Sarawak, SKR1M provides a direct undersea path for domestic data traffic between West and East Malaysia. The six landing points distributed across both regions allow connectivity to reach cities and coastal areas that would otherwise depend on longer international cable routes or terrestrial infrastructure. This configuration supports the flow of data between Malaysia's two geographically distinct territories across the South China Sea.