Kominfo Targets 12,000 Villages With 4G Internet Connection

Ilustrasi tower internet (Image by Erich Westendarp from Pixabay)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo has budgeted around IDR 30.5 trillion for the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in 2021. This budget allocation will be used to connect more than 12,000 villages with a 4G internet network.

According to the Director General of Informatics Applications (Aptika) of the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo), Samuel Pangerapan, digital transformation cannot be carried out without adequate financial support and infrastructure.

The ministry notes, there are 12,548 villages or wards in Indonesia that have not been reached by 4G signals, with details of 9,133 locations in the frontier, disadvantaged and outermost (3T) areas. These areas are connected to the 2G network so that they can only get cellular services in the form of telephone and SMS.

Semuel said that next year, the ministry will complete 4G signals at around 4,000 points. This program is targeted to reach all points by 2022. "It is hoped that by 2022 all villages in Indonesia will be served 4G," said Semuel, as quoted by Antara, Tuesday, August 25.

Infrastructure development, as Semuel said, is the basis for digital transformation, after that, Indonesia needs regulations so that digital transformation is in accordance with the mandate of the 1945 Constitution, that this will protect the nation, educate the nation's life and advance the general welfare.

Apart from these two things, in order to encourage digital transformation in Indonesia, content management is necessary, including content moderation and legal action if it meets elements of lawlessness.

Semuel underlined that one of the important elements in digital transformation is the ability of human resources so that the government will aggressively carry out digital literacy. "If there are no human resources, we will only be spectators," said Semuel.

At the basic level, the ministry aims to provide digital literacy to 50 million people, in the hope that they will pass on their skills to those around them.

"The target of 50 million people by 2024, they understand what digital space is, the basic capabilities," said Semuel. For the intermediate level, Kominfo holds a 1000 Startup Movement program and Digital Talent Scholarship.

Meanwhile, for the advanced level, the government held programs, including S2 and S3 level schools abroad. After having human resources, Kominfo tries to make supporting technology available in Indonesia, such as artificial intelligence, robots, big data analysis, three-dimensional printing and cloud computing.