Reach the Corners of the Country, Connections Make it Easier for Schools to Health Services

BAKTI Media Connect 2026 press conference: "Equalizing Access to Information to All Corners of the Country" (Photo: Adelia/VOI)

JAKARTA - Everyday life is not always determined by one's proximity to the city center. In many parts of Indonesia, the geographical conditions are still a major challenge to get a decent education, fast health services, adequate information, to the opportunity to develop a business.

In island, mountainous, and border areas, a few kilometers can mean a long journey. As a result, things that seem simple to urban residents are much more difficult to do. Communicating with family, sending reports, following learning, or contacting health facilities, becomes much more difficult to do.

Therefore, equitable access is an important part of efforts to improve the quality of life of the community. When access to information and communication is increasingly open, changes are not only felt in terms of work, but also touch education, health, public services, to daily economic activities.

The picture of the challenge is clearly visible in East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. This region has a complex geographical character because it consists of islands, volcanoes, and hills.

Head of the East Flores Information and Communication Technology Office, Silvester Suban Toa Kabelen, described how people used to have to fight hard just to get a communication network. This was revealed in the BAKTI Media Connect 2026 event: "Equalizing Access to Information to All Corners of the Country".

"East Flores has very difficult geographical conditions because it consists of islands, volcanoes, and rows of hills. Therefore, people in many areas previously had to travel kilometers just to get a signal, some even had to climb trees to communicate," said Silvester in Kuningan, Jakarta, Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

The situation shows that communication access is ultimately closely related to many aspects of life. When communication becomes easier, people have greater opportunities to obtain information, coordinate, run businesses, and develop social activities.

"In the current digital era, the internet has become a basic need. MSMEs are starting to sell online, the tourism sector is promoting digitally, and education and health services are also increasingly dependent on internet connectivity. The presence of networks in the blank spot area is very important for the people of East Flores," said Silvester.

For small business actors, access to information can open up opportunities to introduce products to a wider consumer base. For the tourism sector, digital information helps introduce local destinations to a wider audience. Meanwhile, for families, easier communication can reduce barriers when they need certain assistance or services.

The world of education is one of the sectors that feels the most change as communication access improves. School activities are no longer limited to the classroom. Administration, assessment, learning materials, to various competency tests increasingly require technological support.

The head of SMAN 1 Titehena, Konrardus Kudarto, said that the condition before the availability of internet services was quite difficult for educational activities at his school.

"Before there was an internet service, our school was in a blank spot area. The signal only appeared at certain points, sometimes even having to find a higher place. This condition makes it very difficult to communicate and carry out educational activities," added Konrardus.

The presence of connectivity then helps schools carry out various activities that were previously hampered by network limitations.

"Now almost all educational activities require the internet, ranging from digital-based learning, school administration, national assessments, to various competency tests. Therefore, the presence of internet services really helps schools in carrying out educational activities," said Konrardus.

Even so, the availability of access alone does not automatically solve all problems. The quality and stability of the service remain a concern, especially when used simultaneously by many students and teachers.

"We hope that the quality and capacity of internet services continue to be optimized, especially to support assessment and learning activities that require a stable connection. For schools in disaster-affected areas, internet connectivity is an important part to ensure that educational activities continue," said Konrardus.

The benefits of communication access are also very felt in health services. For health facilities that are far from referral hospitals, the ability to communicate quickly helps medical personnel take more coordinated steps.

The head of the Ilebura Health Center, Yohanes Noda Kwuta, told the condition faced by the officers before the internet service was available.

"Before the internet service, we had a lot of trouble accessing information and reporting. To get a network, officers have to go to certain locations that have signals. This condition certainly makes it difficult for health services, especially in coordination and reporting," concluded Yohanes.

Now, service and reporting activities can be done much faster.

"Since the BAKTI service has been in place, we have been very helpful in providing services to patients, coordinating with other health facilities, and sending reports that are now widely used by the application. The Internet makes the process of service and communication much faster," said Yohanes.

One of the most noticeable benefits comes when patients need referrals. Coordination before departure helps health facilities know the current condition of the destination hospital.

"In handling referral patients, internet connectivity is very helpful. Before the patient is sent out, we can coordinate with the destination health facility to ensure the availability of doctors and beds. That way, the risk of patients arriving at the hospital but not being able to be served because the place is full can be minimized," said Yohanes.

From this experience, it can be seen that connectivity is not just about whether or not a site can be opened. In the context of public services, connectivity is part of the service chain that determines how quickly information is received and decisions are made.

The effort to equalize is part of the work of the Telecommunications and Information Accessibility Agency (BAKTI) of the Ministry of Communication and Digital. Through BAKTI Media Connect 2026 with the theme "Equalizing Access to Information to All Corners of the Country", BAKTI explains the development of infrastructure as well as the impact of its utilization in various regions.

BAKTI President Director Fadhilah Mathar said BAKTI had built internet access in more than 31 thousand locations. About 68 percent are in the education sector, 5.89 percent in the health sector to support e-government.

Meanwhile, around 19.9 percent are in government offices and various public facilities such as traditional markets, places of worship, defense and security posts, business locations, business services, and public transportation.

Fadhilah emphasized that BAKTI is not an operator, but an agency that runs and manages financing, while the core network is fully owned by mobile operators in Indonesia.

"The principle of development in BAKTI is like the legs of a table tennis table. There are four legs. The first is community sustainability because this will help adoption and inclusion. Second, service quality. Third, encourage the scalability of MSMEs. Fourth, and not least, is the sustainability of the industry. Don't let the government come in and actually shut down commercial land," he concluded.

This approach is also related to how infrastructure can continue to run after the government builds initial access. Since 2024, BAKTI has prepared an exit strategy, namely offering areas with certain criteria and maturity levels to vendors, operators, tower providers, or other partners to be taken over.

"The government's success in the Universal Service Obligation is not measured by how long we are there, but how quickly we exit the location. That is, the community can be independent," he said.

To reach difficult areas served by conventional networks, BAKTI operates a number of strategic infrastructure.

In space, the Indonesian Republic Satellite or Satria-1 with a capacity of 150 Gbps has been used since 2024 to reach facilities such as schools, health centers, local government offices, to TNI/Polri border posts. This infrastructure is one of the supports for connectivity for areas that are difficult to reach by land networks.

Meanwhile, the Palapa Ring optical fiber network stretches 12,148 kilometers and serves 131 Network Operation Center (NOC) locations in 57 non-commercial districts/cities spread from the western, central, to eastern regions of Indonesia.

The BAKTI AKSI program has also provided free internet access at more than 31,864 public service points. The BAKTI Signal notes the construction of 4G BTS and Universal Service Obligation (USO) BTS at 6,747 3T location points through the funding of the APBN and the contribution of USO funds.

The infrastructure is then combined with the empowerment program of the Digital Ecosystem and BUMDes Partnership. Digital literacy training, digitalization of tourism, and strengthening of BUMDesa partnerships are aimed at helping people use technology as part of economic activities and services at the village level.

The experience of East Flores and other 3T areas shows that equitable access does not stop at the construction of towers or the provision of connections. The next challenge is to ensure that people are able to use this access productively.

For schools, connectivity needs to be followed by the ability of teachers and students to utilize digital learning resources. For health centers, networks must support administrative systems and service coordination. Meanwhile, for MSMEs and rural communities, access to information needs to be translated into skills, business opportunities, and increased productivity.

Digital literacy is as important as the availability of infrastructure. People need to understand how to use technology safely, productively, and according to their needs.

Sustainability is also a challenge in itself. Fadhilah assessed that collaboration between the central government through BAKTI Komdigi, local governments, and mobile operators such as Telkomsel is needed to maintain the sustainability of assets and services in the region.

Thus, the success of equitable access can not only be seen from the number of BTS, the length of the optical fiber network, or the capacity of the satellite. A more important measure is the change that occurs after the infrastructure is available: whether students are easier to learn, whether health workers can coordinate faster, whether MSMEs can obtain new markets, and whether the community can access public services without having to travel long distances.

Technology is just a tool. Its greatest value only emerges when access truly helps people live easier lives, get better services, and have greater opportunities to develop.

Through BAKTI Media Connect 2026, the government also encourages a healthy and sustainable Government and Business Partnership (KPBU) model. This step is expected to be part of the accountability of the management of KPU/USO funds, so that investment for the 3T area does not stop at infrastructure development, but produces social and economic impacts that can be felt by the community in the long term.