The minister said that in its 76th year of independence, Indonesia must maintain its great dreams by optimizing all opportunities available for advancing the nation in the future, particularly at the centenary of independence in 2045, when Indonesia is projected to be among the ten major economies.
"There are several key factors that must be anticipated to realize our great dreams, and one of the keys is to develop our digital economy," Thohir said during the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association's (Hipmi's) 2022 Digital Fest here on Wednesday.
Indonesia’s digital economy has great potential, he said, adding that by 2030, the potential of the nation’s digital economy is projected to grow to Rp4,500 trillion (US$315 billion), much higher than the country's GDP (gross domestic product) growth.
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Indonesia has also passed the second wave of technological disruption, with digitization occurring in many parts of the society, including in the education, healthcare, and financial aspects, the minister noted.
"Those are opportunities that we must optimize. State-owned enterprises are committed to developing Indonesia's digital ecosystem to optimize those opportunities," Thohir remarked.
The development of Indonesia's digital ecosystem will focus on three aspects: infrastructure, funding, and aggregators, he informed.
The ministry has conducted business refocusing of state-owned telecommunication companies Telkom, which will focus on a business-to-business approach through the development of a data center, cloud system, and 5G network installations, and Telkomsel, which will focus on a business-to-consumer approach, he said.
The ministry has also launched the Merah Putih Fund to help domestic start-ups advance on their own might as companies founded by Indonesians and operated and traded in Indonesia, he added.
"State-owned company Telkomsel has also launched Indico, a digital company that will be a digital aggregator and provide market access for digital creators in the healthcare, education, gaming, and entertainment sectors," Thohir said.
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Translator: Aji Cakti, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Suharto
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