Internet RI Still Expensive, Telecommunication Deregulation Komdigi

The government reviewed the deregulation of telecommunication industries to open investment rooms, improve service quality, and expand internet benefits for society.

Vice Minister of Communication and Digital Angga Raka Prabowo declared affirmation of regulation directed to create more efficient and competitive industries, as well as present more affordable and productive digital services for society.

"The deregulation is not all it takes to make business easier, but to create efficient, competitive, investment ecosystem, and to provide more economic benefits for the people," said Angga Raka Prabowo in Bali Tech Week 2026.

Angga mentions the current burden of telecommunication industry regulation reaching about 13-14% of operator income. Therefore, the government is assessing the loss of regulatory loads by considering industry sustainability and national interests, as well as opening up industrial growth space by up to five percent.

"We're trying to find a middle point, which means the country shouldn't be harmed either. But mainly, we do what's best for the people,

Presented by Wamenkomdigi, regulatory settings are expected to produce chain effects of increase in investment, price repair and service quality, increase in technology adoption, as well as economic growth and state acceptance.

According to data 2026, about 81.7% of the population or 235 million people have been connected to the Internet. However, about 2,000 villages and homes are still unattainable 4G networks, while only about 21 percent of households subscribe to fixed broadband.

From the outreach side, the fixed broadband costs up to 4.86 percent of gross per capita national income, beyond the range of two percent range. As for the Indonesian internet speed is at the range 51 Mbps for fixed broadband and 66 Mbps for mobile broadband.

This condition suggests that the expansion of connectivity needs to be accompanied by quality improvement and availability of service.

Angga explains that regulatory justification will cover many layers of digital ecosystem, from passive infrastructure, connectivity, platform and computation to applications and services.

"In the passive infrastructure layer, we encourage the principle of building once, being used together, through mutual use of towers and pillars, building integrated utility pathways, open access to affordable prices, as well as diluting the reference of regional retribution," the mouth of heaven.

On a layer of connectivity, the government assesses partnership schemes that can provide assurances for operators, including making the government a prime tenant for school internet needs, puskesmas, and village offices.

Commissions also consider the Government Cooperative Schemes and Business-based quality services and incentive usage costs (BHP) frequencies to support network development in the 3T area.

In order to encourage investment in the digital ecosystem, the government is reviewing the incentive facilities for data centers, including the opportunities for investment development outside Java.

On the side of applications and services, regulatory development sandbox, open application programming interface use, as well as private sector involvement in GovTech development becomes part of an effort to expand innovation and collaboration.

The government also set up updates of telecommunications that set off from the 2012 36-Year Act on Telecommunication to be more relevant to the development of technology and industrial needs.

The drafting of that policy will gradually be done through public consultation with industry and its owner of interest. In addition to deregulation, the government targeted fixed broadband speed and mobile broadband heading 100 Mbps in 2029.

The other targets include 90% of the materials connected to the fiber optic network, 50% of the household served fixed broadband, as well as the completion of 5G coverage obligations at least 51 percent of the population in the fifth year after the frequency permit.

Raka Prabowo has confirmed that the target's achievement requires government and industry synergy, including setting up regulatory costs, distribution of licenses and retribution, development of business models for the 3T region, as well as drafting the road map of frequency spectrum.

"The Ministry of Communication and Digital are ready to facilitate and open in deregulation and debottlenecking this so that Indonesian digital infrastructure industries grow continuously, sustaining, and sovereign, with one primary purpose," to examine the Indonesian people, "replenishing them.