Kominfo Needs IDR 22.57 Trillion Budget To Make Indonesian People More Digital Literate

Menkominfo Johnny G Plate at a meeting with Commission I DPR (doc. Kominfo)

JAKARTA - In order to make Indonesians more aware of the digital world, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Kominfo) is preparing five priority programs. However, to run all these programs, Kominfo needs an additional budget of Rp. 22.57 trillion.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Communication and Information (Menkominfo) Johnny G Plate in a joint working meeting with Commission I of the DPR, on Monday, June 22 yesterday. The five programs are the provision of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure, management of the frequency spectrum, utilization of ICT, structuring the management of post and information technology, and public communication.

"To accelerate the National Digitalization, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology needs a budget of Rp. 22.57 trillion so that there is a shortage of Rp. 16.82 trillion to finance the needs for new initiatives," said Minister Johnny in his press release, Wednesday, June 23.

Johnny explained that the budget was proposed due to an adjustment in the spending of ministries and agencies in the 2020 budget year. In which several ministry programs that should have been running this year, have undergone adjustments for handling the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Some of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology's program budget has been adjusted in the current year (2020) for handling the COVID-19 pandemic. So that it is postponed to the next year or the completion time is extended," Johnny added.

Even so, he admits that the COVID-19 pandemic has also helped accelerate Indonesia's digital transformation. So it is necessary to optimize both the service infrastructure and the acceleration of the national digitization policy.

Kominfo also proposes an additional budget (ABT) of Pure Rupiah of Rp. 2.33 trillion to accelerate the development of telecommunications infrastructure. One of the budget will be used to build Base Transceiver Station (BTS), internet access in non-commercial areas, and preparation of data centers as a step to accelerate national digitization.

As an illustration, Johnny explained that out of a total of 83,218 villages and sub-districts in Indonesia, 70,670 of them have been covered by 4G services. As many as 12,548 villages and sub-districts are currently not served 100 percent of the 4G network.

"A total of 9,113 villages and wards in the 3T or underdeveloped, front and outermost areas and 3,435 Non 3T villages and wards," said Johnny.

The plan is that the development of 4G cellular network access will also be carried out in 9,113 villages and sub-districts in the 3T area which will be completed in the Bakti program until 2022. "Meanwhile, 3,435 villages or sub-districts in Non-3T areas, 4G cellular development is proposed to be built by cellular operators, "he said.