Internet-based cellular phones are becoming increasingly popular among Indonesians for daily communication, job- and business-related purposes.
The speed, efficiency and practical reasons have driven more Indonesians to use Internet-based cellular phones even though most companies still prefer to use fixed Internet access.
“In Indonesia today, cellular Internet penetration is bigger than that of fixed network,” said PT Telkom technology and system vice president Ivan C. Permana.
“Geographically, Indonesia is made up many scattered islands and this has made the setting up of a broadband fixed network difficult and costly. Cellular Internet is a solution because it is faster and more efficient,” he argued.
Indonesia is among the top five countries with the highest mobile Internet penetration after India and China, according to Ericsson’s mobility report.
A survey conducted by Central Bureau of Statistics and the Association of Indonesian Internet Providers (APJII) shows that by the end of 2013, 71.19 million Indonesians were connected.
“The number represents a 13 percent increase from 63 million people in 2012,” said APJII chairperson Semuel Pangerapan.
Connectivity has become an integral part of so many daily undertakings that it is nearly impossible for many Indonesians to function without the assurance that they are connected and their existence on the worldwide web is fully guaranteed.
In regard to the use of the Internet for business-related purposes, the Communications and Information Technology Ministry reported earlier that 84 percent of companies operating in Indonesia used fixed broadband Internet access.
“Twenty one percent of the companies use mobile broadband,” the report said.
It said that 98 percent of foreign direct investors used a combination of fixed broadband and mobile broadband, accounting for 98 percent and 13 percent respectively.
Amid the growing popularity of Internet-based cellular phones, however, Indonesia remains low in terms of Internet speed; whereas, high-speed broadband connection is the prerequisite for ensuring a seamless flow of data in today’s era.
Broadband connection is essential for government bodies with their e-government policies, businesses and educational institutions, as well as millions of digital citizens who cannot get away from connected gadgets in classrooms or at home.
The GSMA Intelligence reported “264 LTE networks commercially launched across 101 countries worldwide between December 2009 and January 2014,” and by 2020 it is expected that there will be 2.5 billion LTE connections worldwide.
The International Telecom-munication Union (ITU) in its 2013 annual report, The State of Broadband, stresses the importance of broadband penetration to developing countries, as it will play an important role in achieving millennium development goals (MDGs) set in 2000.
The ITU aims at making broadband a global policy and that “by 2015, all countries should have a NBP [National Broadband Plan] or strategy or include broadband in their UAS [Universal Access and Service] definition.”
The communications ministry has yet to release a policy concerning 4G LTE services, which, according to operators, poses a challenge for developing broadband in the country.
“The ministry is still restructuring 3G channels following XL Axiata’s move to acquire AXIS,” a source said.
Telkomsel, XL, Indosat and Tri are awaiting the government’s ruling on 4G LTE for cellular operators, including call and text messages over the broadband network.
Currently, Internux with its Bolt! is the Internet broadband provider in Jakarta, working on 2300 MHz frequency and utilizing broadband wireless access (BWA) without voice call and text-messaging services.
Internux uses Long Term Evolution-Division Duplex (LTE-DD), thus, enabling it to provide data services only.
Broadband infrastructure
Cellular communication provider Telkomsel, a subsidiary of PT Telkom, disclosed that intensive efforts were underway to develop its broadband services.
Telkom’s director Arief Yahya said at the company’s annual general meeting of shareholders earlier this month that the company was pushing for better services for Telkomsel’s data subscriptions and speedy fixed broadband product.
Telkom is set to expand its broadband infrastructure within its Digital Network 2015 program.
The company plans to deploy Nodes B covering all districts in the country and make use of third-carrier spectrum for big cities.
“Telkom is ready to implement 4G Long-Term Evolution technology across Indonesia which is supported by DNA [Device-Network-Applications] ecosystem,” he said.
“This will give Indonesians a new experience in mobile digital lifestyle.”
4G LTE services offer theoretical download speeds between 75 and 100 Mbps and typical download speeds from 3 to 12 Mbps, three times faster than 3G connection.
This year Telkom is expanding its fiber-optic network to 75,000 kilometers reaching all corners of the country.
Apart from the absence of regulation, another challenge facing Indonesia in regard to developing broadband is its geography.
“The only way to build such infrastructure is by installing a sub-oceanic cable communication system,” the company said.
Like Telkomsel, XL Axiata and Indosat are also gearing up to improve their broadband infrastructure, allocating Rp 7 trillion (US$613 million) and Rp 8 trillion, respectively, of their capital expenditure for this venture.
XL Axiata is expected to complete the acquisition of Axis soon and will step up its efforts in developing more infrastructure to welcome the era of full 4G LTE.
In 2013, the company deployed more than 2,000 Nodes B.
XL is also optimistic about the prospects of the 4G LTE era in Indonesia, following its successful 4G LTE trial run during October 2013’s APEC Summit.
Meanwhile, Indosat is striving to improve its UMTS 900 MHZ network, part of its ongoing efforts to enhance its subscribers’ experience.
Indosat said that UMTS 900 MHz offered connection to spots where the UMTS 2100 MHz network could not reach.
Biznet, another broadband provider, has launched its latest product, metroNet which is aimed at providing a fixed broadband connection service for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Biznet focuses its services on fixed-broadband connection for Internet, data center and cable TV, especially in metropolitan area.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Gandi Faisal
Quelle/Source: The Jakarta Post, 15.04.2014
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