Skies Are Clearing in Paradise: Why Sanur Just Keeps Getting Better
The beautiful village that I chose as my home 30 years ago just never ceases to amaze me lately. If you’ve been following Sanur’s evolution, you know we’ve been on an incredible run.
Just a few years ago, we welcomed a brand-new, world-class beachside mall complete with a modern movie theater.
Then, the government designated the area as a Special Economic Zone, bringing us the groundbreaking Bali International Hospital—complete with international doctors for the first time in history.
Just before Christmas, they finished laying down wide, beautiful new sidewalks and started enforcing a strict no-parking rule on the main road.
The result? Traffic flows smoother, the air feels cleaner, and everyone finally has a safe, gorgeous space to walk.
They even added solar-powered streetlights and introduced eco-friendly electric shuttles to help people get around without cars or motorbikes for just IDR 50,000 (around $3.50).
Just when you thought Sanur couldn’t possibly get any better, I started noticing these sleek little gray boxes being installed all along Jalan Danau Tamblingan.
I actually asked the restaurant manager over at The Cellar, right next to our Bali Emerald Villas, if he knew what they were for. At the time, he didn’t know, and neither did I. Curious, I snapped a photo of one. I finally did some digging on it today, and I am absolutely shocked—and thrilled—by what’s coming next for our village.
If you thought Sanur looked good now, wait until you see what is about to happen to our skyline.
I noticed these small boxes being installed all along the main street Sanur, Bali on Jalan Tambligan and I wondered what they were for .
According to Gemini AI What you are seeing in your photo, “20260513_103942.jpg”, is part of Denpasar’s newly completed underground utility project.
- Specifically, this is an above-ground connection point or transmission/termination box for the SJUT-IPT (Sarana Jaringan Utilitas Terpadu Infrastruktur Pasif Telekomunikasi).
Here is what it is for and why it has been installed all along the main roads in Sanur (such as Jalan Danau Tamblingan and Jalan Danau Poso):
1. Moving Overhead Cables Underground
The main purpose of the SJUT-IPT project is to clean up the infamous “spaghetti” of overhead fiber optic and telecommunication cables that clutter the streets. The city has built a 6,000-meter underground backbone network consisting of manholes and High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) cable ducts.
2. A Centralized Hub for Telecom Providers
The text on the sticker indicates a joint investment and operational partnership managed by PT Sarana Utilitas Optimal (SUO) and Perumda BPS Kota Denpasar. Instead of every internet and telecom company hanging their own messy wires on messy poles, they are now legally required to lease space inside this shared underground infrastructure.
What Happens Next?
The physical construction in Sanur is officially complete. The local government has issued official regulations regarding the underground network tariffs. All internet service providers and telecom operators have been given a three-month window to migrate their networks underground, followed by an additional month to completely tear down and remove their old overhead wires.
Once that grace period ends, any remaining hanging cables will be forcibly cut down by code enforcement. The final goal is to give Sanur’s main streets a much cleaner, safer, and more premium aesthetic look.
