With Additional 2.3 GHz Frequency, Telkomsel Will Soon Launch 5G Services

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Kemenkominfo) officially appointed PT Telekomunikasi Selular (Telkomsel) and PT Smartftren Telecom Tbk as the winner of the 2.3 GHz frequency band auction. Telkomsel gets 2 blocks, where each block contains 10MHz, namely block A which consists of the 2360-2370 MHz range, and block C which consists of the 2380-2390 MHz range.

President Director of Telkomsel Setyanto Hantoro said the additional spectrum would be used to strengthen the development of the latest 4G LTE broadband service. This includes maximizing the capacity and quality of the broadband network for 5G internet services.

"The corporate step through this frequency band investment has taken into account various aspects, such as a mature investment and business development strategy, with strong financial support, along with Telkomsel's transformation roadmap", he said in an official statement received by VOI, Wednesday, May 19.

It is hoped that this achievement will also support the strengthening of the digital ecosystem in Indonesia, including the digital creative industry, e-commerce, and encourage the digital transformation of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) segment. For the next stage, Telkomsel will rebuild the BTS 4G/LTE tower in the 2.3 GHz frequency range.

An additional 2.3 GHz frequency spectrum with a total of 20 MHz will be used immediately after the refarming process and the issuance of a Radio Frequency Band Permit (IPFR) from the Ministry of Communication and Information in the near future. In order for the allocation of bands that are owned to be contiguous so that it is more efficient and optimal in order to support the implementation of broadband connectivity networks.

"Telkomsel understands that currently, the availability of frequency spectrum in Indonesia is still very limited, while the comparison between the growth in the number of broadband service users and the frequency spectrum allocation owned by Telkomsel must continue to be in line with its development", said Setyanto.

Until the end of last year, Telkomsel had deployed more than 231.000 BTS units, with the availability of more than 78 percent with 3G/4G BTS technology, covering 95 percent of the population in all corners of the country. Since the last few years, Telkomsel has also focused on all infrastructure development and network technology specifically for the provision of 4G/LTE broadband networks.

At the end of 2019, Telkomsel has also tested the latest 5G network in Batam for the industrial sector, after previously successfully holding trials and showcases for the use of the 5G network at the 2018 Asian Games.

Now the composition of the frequency license allocation owned by Telkomsel is 2.3 GHz with a bandwidth of 50 MHz (30 MHz with a national use allocation and 20 MHz with a zone use allocation/non-national). The frequency is 2.1 GHz with a bandwidth of 15 MHz, a frequency of 1.8 GHz with a bandwidth of 22.5 MHz, and a frequency of 800/900 MHz with a bandwidth of 15 MHz, of which the bands are 2.1 GHz, 1.8 GHz, and 800/900 MHz for national use allocation.