Cloudflare's network expansion in Indonesia

Indonesia faces challenges in providing fast and reliable internet due to its geography, infrastructure, and market dynamics. The country consists of over 18,000 islands spanning three time zones, making it difficult for fiber optic cables to connect the entire population. Additionally, Indonesia relies heavily on submarine fiber optic cables, which are prone to damage from human activities and seismic activity. While there are plans for new cable systems, internet costs in Indonesia remain significantly higher than other regions. The market is dominated by three major ISPs, leading to refusal to peer or exchange traffic without expensive payments. Despite these challenges, Cloudflare has established a carrier-neutral local point of presence and edge partnership points of presence in the country, resulting in improved network performance for its customers.