By the end of 2021, the ministry has targeted to build 4,200 BTS. Currently, the construction is still ongoing, and we will continue to build 3,704 other BTS in 2022.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Digital infrastructure has become one of the priorities to be expedited in 2022 to offer equitable digital services and support digital transformation according to the government’s program, Communication and Informatics Minister Johny G. Plate stated.

Steps ranging from the construction of Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) to ensuring construction of the National Data Center (PDN) project are part of the endeavors to expedite digital infrastructure development.

“By the end of 2021, the ministry has targeted to build 4,200 BTS. Currently, the construction is still ongoing, and we will continue to build 3,704 other BTS in 2022,” Plate noted in a press release here on Wednesday.

By 2024, a total of 9,586 BTS are targeted to be built from Sabang to Merauke to ensure transmitter stations can provide equitable frequency for all Indonesian citizens.

In addition, the ministry will optimize the Palapa Ring’s network through its integration program reaching 12,083 kilometers from land and sea.

Land cables will be largely used in the Palapa Ring integration, with the length reaching 8,203 kilometers and sea cables set at 3,800 kilometers.

A total capital of Rp8.6 trillion will be required for the Palapa Ring integration that will be divided into two construction periods: Rp3.5 trillion in 2022 and Rp5.1 trillion in 2023, he explained.

The provision of internet access hinges on the acceleration of digital infrastructure by the ministry in 2022. The ministry recorded that only 4,574 internet access points had opened in 2021, he added

“In 2022, we will open as many as 22,000 internet access points on a massive scale, and it will continue to increase until we reach 78,391 internet access points by the end of 2024,” he highlighted.

Related news: Digital infrastructure to meet national interests: Minister Plate

Another infrastructure to be developed in the attempts to achieve equitable digital transformation is the provision of satellite capacity. By June 2021, Indonesia will upgrade the 21 gigabytes (Gbps) satellite to 30 Gbps satellite by 2021.

The satellite capacity will be re-upgraded by adding 7 Gbps to 37 Gbps and is targeted to reach 117 Gbps by 2024.

The broadcasting, telecommunication, and post monitoring center is also included as the digital infrastructure that the ministry is striving to expedite. As many as 524 cities and districts have received a measurement tool of the telecommunication service quality by 2021. Later, by 2022, the dashboards that function to show broadcasting and post data will also be distributed to those cities and districts.

Migration from analog to digital television is also being prioritized in Indonesia’s digital infrastructure development for 2022. The ministry will facilitate its equipment in 15 regions where multiplexing broadcasting is yet not available.

Furthermore, to support television service performance in 2022, as many as 206 transmitters of TVRI, the state-owned television station, will be revitalized, and the ministry will also distribute set-top boxes to the public seeking digital television services.

In terms of the fifth generation network, the ministry is also preparing new frequency networks for mobile broadband at 1,000 MegaHertz (Mhz) in 2022 and targeted to reach 1,310 Mhz by 2024.

Lastly, construction of the national data center program (PDN) for Greater Jakarta will be started in 2021 and will be emulated in other regions in 2022.

“Hence, there will be two national data centers operating and will be able to provide 75 percent of the services for ministries, institutions, and regional administrations,” Plate noted. (INE)

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Translator: Juwita Trisna Rahayu
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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