The G20 is an international forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union that cooperate to handle major issues. Indonesia is holding the presidency of the grouping this year.
One of the aspects that must be especially considered in the preparations is the reliability of the telecommunications network.
This is because the summit will be attended by the heads of state and government officials of G20 countries as well as domestic and overseas media crew.
State-owned telecommunications operator PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk has been preparing the telecommunications network for the G20 Summit since June.
According to the company's network and information technology solution director, Herlan Wijanarko, in general, the preparations are 99.1 percent complete.
The preparations had to be undertaken since June since the telecommunications network needed for the event had to be connected to networks outside of Bali, both domestic and international.
For domestic networks, the infrastructure in Bali has been connected through underwater cables to networks in the direction of Java (two lanes) and Papua (three lanes).
Wijanarko assured that the infrastructure in Bali is very safe.
Meanwhile, in Bali, Telkom has ensured the reliability of the telecommunications network by deploying an Automated Telephone Center (STO) at three locations.
The Telkom Focus Group for the G20 Summit has also encompassed the cellular network to ensure that the coverage of 4G and 5G networks at the location of the G20 Summit's main event reaches 100 percent.
In addition to the main location of the G20 Summit, cellular networks will also be made available at hotels around the event's locations, Garuda Wisnu Kencana, and Ngurah Rai International Airport.
As per the latest data from Telkom, Bali has a total of 7,570 base transceiver station (BTS) towers for 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks.
In the second week of October, Telkom worked to ensure the security of 31 BTS infrastructure, install Internet access points at a number of spots, and prepare 5G utilization to ensure the telecommunication network's smoothness.
Telkom informed that it is cooperating with all cellular operators in Indonesia to ensure the quality of the telecommunications network and to make the network secure.
Currently, there are four cellular operators in Indonesia, including Telkomsel, which belongs to Telkom Group, Xl Axiata, and Indosat Ooreedo Hutchison.
The availability of cellular services at the G20 Summit's event locations will also include roaming services for delegates and guests arriving from overseas.
Telkom has also anticipated that there will be high telecommunication traffic throughout the G20 Summit in November.
At the end of October, it plans to hold a final inspection to examine the readiness of the telecommunications network with stakeholders, including the Communication and Informatics Ministry.
The presence of heads of state at the G20 Summit will mean stringent security. There may be instances wherein this security could cause the jamming of telecommunications networks, such as WiFi.
To anticipate this, Telkom has prepared cable-based broadband Internet, and wired LAN (local area network).
In addition to network reliability, Telkom has also prepared a team to anticipate issues involving the telecommunications network during the G20 Summit.
In a number of spots in Bali, it has prepared centers that will operate 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, and at least 340 technicians will remain present during the event to directly handle issues.
Telkom will assign centers in Surabaya, East Java, and national centers in Jakarta to monitor the reliability of the telecommunications network during the G20 Summit.
Cybersecurity
One of the issues that Telkom is paying attention to for the G20 Summit's telecommunications network is cybersecurity, especially since Indonesia experienced a cyberattack recently.
Telkom assured that it is already anticipating cyberattacks, both domestic and overseas.
Specifically for the G20 Summit, Telkom has installed what it has described as a next-generation firewall to protect the network from cyberattacks, such as distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.
Meanwhile, for data security, Telkom has ensured that the storage that it uses has been installed with encryption to minimize the chances of hacking.
With the G20 Summit approaching, the government is continuing with its preparations. Recently, President Joko Widodo held a meeting with ministers to discuss matters such as the physical preparations for the summit.
Indonesia’s G20 Presidency in 2022 marks the first time it has been chosen to lead the grouping. The G20 Summit is scheduled to be held on November 15 to November 16, 2022, in Bali.
Ahead of the summit, the Indonesian G20 Presidency has held a series of forums under the Finance and Sherpa tracks throughout this year.
The Indonesian G20 Presidency, themed “Recover Together, Recover Stronger,” has raised three priority issues: global health architecture, digital transformation, and sustainable energy transition.
With the telecommunications network already well-prepared, the peak event of the Indonesian G20 Presidency is expected to be successful.
Moreover, it is also expected to be an effective forum for the host to play a major role in shaping a more developed world in the digital era.
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Translator: Natisha A, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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