Facts About Internet Performance In Indonesia, Ranked 4th Globally 4G Availability

Internet speed in Indonesia is very good. (photo: Frederik Lipfert / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Indonesia has interesting technical challenges for cellular operators working to deliver 5G, although some of its cities are still using 3G.

With more than 17,000 islands, and half of the population in Java, this country of 270 million has cellular challenges related to the density of its provinces and cities.

Speedtest from Ookla uses data from Speedtest Intelligence to evaluate cellular performance in Indonesia during Q1 to Q2 2021. They check cellular speed and 4G availability at the country and service provider level and cover performance snapshots of every 34 provinces in Indonesia.

Ookla also uses Cell Analytics to show comparisons of mobile user experience from one operator to another in key locations in Indonesia. The following are the results of the analysis from Speedtest regarding the facts of internet performance in Indonesia, quoted by VOI, Monday, September 6.

Increasing Internet Speed in Indonesia

Comparing Indonesia's main trading partners, including countries in ASEAN, India, and South Korea, internet download speeds between these countries over the past year are quite different. According to Speedtest Intelligence, South Korea had the highest median download speed during Q1 2021 with 84.12 Mbps.

Singapore is in second place with 57.42 Mbps, followed by Brunei (47.02 Mbps). Meanwhile, Indonesia's average download speed is 14.78 Mbps. While Cambodia and India have speeds of 13.96 Mbps and 10.56 Mbps, respectively.

Indonesia showed an increase of 4.23 Mbps in average download speed from 10.55 Mbps in Q2 2020 to 14.78 Mbps in Q2 2021. Meanwhile, Myanmar was excluded due to the political situation.

4G Availability in Indonesia Ranks Four

Speedtest Intelligence shows that each country surveyed has 4G availability, the percentage of users on all devices that spend most of their time on 4G and above, both roaming and on-network. It is close to or above 80 percent during Q2 2021.

In first place is South Korea with 95.7 percent of 4G availability during Q2 2021, followed by Singapore with 93.9 percent, followed by India with 91.7 percent in third place. Indonesia is in fourth place with 89.2 percent.

Telkomsel The Fastest Cellular Operator

The fastest cellular operator in Indonesia during Q1 to Q2 2021 was successfully annexed by Telkomsel with the fastest median download speed (15.64 Mbps) and fastest upload (10.55 Mbps). XL ranks second in terms of download and upload speeds, followed by IM3 Ooredoo, 3 and Smartfren.

According to Speedtest Consumer Sentiment, Telkomsel also has the highest Net Promoter Score (NPS) with -12.52. While 3 is in second place for measuring consumer satisfaction with their cellular operator, IM3 Ooredoo is third, XL is fourth and Smartfren is fifth.

The race for 4G availability is very competitive in Indonesia during Q1 to Q2 2021 with each major provider reaching at least 87 percent. However, Smartfren, which operates specifically in 4G LTE, managed to achieve the highest 4G availability at 94.5 percent. IM3 Ooredoo ranks next at 90.9 percent, followed by 3 at 89.2 percent, XL with 87.8 and Telkomsel 87.3 percent.

Download Speed Diversity in Different Regions

Speedtest Intelligence results show that there are no provinces in Indonesia that are statistically very fast in terms of downloading during Q1 to Q2 2021, although four provinces have a median cellular download speed of more than 19.00 Mbps, namely West Papua (20.14 Mbps), Bali ( 19.68 Mbps), Maluku (19.43 Mbps) and Gorontalo (19.32 Mbps). East Kalimantan is just below it with 18.48 Mbps.

During Q2 2021, there were no provinces that were statistically very slow, although there were four provinces that had a median cellular download speed of less than 11.00 Mbps, such as Jambi (9.20 Mbps), Lampung (9.29 Mbps), Central Kalimantan ( 9.90 Mbps) and West Sumatra (10.64 Mbps).

There are also no provinces with a statistically very fast median cellular upload speed, although four provinces have a median cellular upload speed of more than 12.50 Mbps. For example, in West Papua (12.97 Mbps), East Nusa Tenggara (12.89 Mbps), the Bangka Belitung Islands (12.84 Mbps) and Bali (12.55 Mbps). Each province has a median upload speed of more than 7.50 Mbps, except for West Sumatra (6.92 Mbps), Central Java (7.34 Mbps) and North Maluku (7.36 Mbps).

A total of 27 Provinces Show 4G Availability Above 84 Percent

Like Indonesia's cellular performance, Indonesia's 4G availability varies from province to province during Q1 to Q2 2021. All provinces except 10 provinces achieved 4G Availability between 84.0 percent and 89.0 percent, with four provinces standing out from the rest, achieving availability More than 89.0 percent of 4G are located in the Riau Islands (90.5 percent), West Java (89.8 percent), Banten (89.7 percent) and Bali (88.7 percent).

Provinces with higher urban density show higher 4G availability, but this is not always the case for non-urban and non-populated provinces such as Aceh which achieves 4G Availability of 88.5 percent.

Meanwhile, North Kalimantan, the province with the lowest population density in Indonesia, had the lowest 4G Availability compared to any province during Q1 to Q2 2021 at 79.7 percent. West Sulawesi has the second lowest 4G Availability at 80.1 percent. Central Kalimantan, North Maluku and West Kalimantan are the other provinces with 4G availability below 83.0 percent.