TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs claims that Elon Musk's internet service, Starlink, could boost Indonesia's internet penetration rate to 100 percent. The current internet penetration rate nationwide is around 76.3 percent.

Elon Musk's satellite-based internet service is expected to reach all corners of Indonesia. "The speed is good and it covers all across Indonesia," said Assistant Deputy for Digital Theodore Sutarto on Wednesday, June 12, 2024.

He said Starlink reaches areas difficult for optical cable networks to access, so the low earth orbit (LEO) could be the answer to the limited internet access. However, government use of Starlink services would be challenging as it would be quite costly for ministries and governmental agencies.

The budget for Starlink would also be expensive for Public Health Centers and sub-district offices since merely purchasing the equipment already costs millions. "Not to mention the subscriptions. It’s not quite certain whether Indonesian citizens could afford the subscription," he said.

According to the official Starlink page, the device’s prices in Indonesia range from Rp5.9 million to Rp43.7 million. Meanwhile, the monthly service package costs Rp750,000 per household. For maritime, emergency response, and mobile business sectors, the subscription costs Rp86.1 million per month.

Deputy IV for Coordination of the Digital Economy, Employment, and MSMEs, Musdhalifah Machmud, said internet coverage is necessary to develop the digital economy. Indonesia is currently ranked 7th in terms of internet coverage and 9th for internet speed in ASEAN.

"There's still a long way to go," Musdhalifah said.

ILONA ESTHERINA

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