"On-air BTS is still at 50 percent. It is still very difficult, especially in areas like Bener Meriah, Aceh Tamiang, North Aceh, and others. The electricity is still unstable in those areas," she said at an event in Jakarta on Wednesday.
She then detailed that 87 percent of BTS in Aceh Province have also recovered, although not all of them are operational yet.
"Recovery, meaning the towers are functioning, is indeed at 87 percent. Why is it necessary to mention this? To appreciate our fellow operators who, even though their families have been affected, are trying to recover amidst the disaster," she noted.
According to preliminary data, BTS coverage in other affected areas such as West Sumatra has reached 99 percent, while in North Sumatra it is approximately 97-98 percent.
Hafid said the government is also teaming up with cellular operators to restore telecommunications infrastructure following the floods and landslides that struck the three provinces.
"This is a shared work. We are coordinating with all cellular operators, including Starlink and the government's Satria-1. Everyone is involved. All our fellow operators are also coordinating their data with us so we have more accurate data," she conveyed.
She emphasized that the presence of active BTS plays a crucial role for residents in disaster areas, considering that in addition to basic assistance such as food, access to information is also a necessity, especially for accessing emergency information.
Her office continues to play a role in restoring the telecommunications infrastructure affected in the three provinces, in line with its responsibility for public communication with an empathetic approach.
"We also play a role in empathetic public communication. We are not the Ministry of Infrastructure, which directly builds bridges, but we understand that communication during a disaster and a crisis is crucial for connecting people," Hafid said.
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Translator: Sri Dewi L, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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