Govt Claims Elon Musk's Starlink License is Not Withheld Due to Pro-Israel Stance

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Communication and Informatics Minister Budi Arie Setiadi stressed that the Indonesian government withheld licence of Starlink, a telecommunication company owned by Elon Musk, to provide its services in the country to protect national data sovereignty.

Starlink and Indonesia have yet to agree on compliance to use the Indonesian IP Address. "The issue with Starlink is about our data sovereignty, As long as they agree on the IP Address we'll concede. But if the IP Address is not in Indonesia, how will we control it?" the minister said in Jakarta, on Thursday.

Minister Budi also stressed that this issue is not at all related to Elon Musk's personal stance to support Israel. He emphasized that Starlink has not been issued a license since the US-based company has not agreed to abide by Indonesian law.

"[Pro-Israel] is his stance abroad. There is no relation to this issue. We are consistent to take actions to protect our national sovereignty, that Starlink must utilize local Indonesian IP Address," he said.

Earlier in September, the Director General of Postal and Informatics Wayan Toni Supriyanto revealed that Starlink has shown its interest in becoming one of the telecommunication actors in Indonesia. 

Wayan reminded Starlink to commit to absorbing local workers to provide more employment opportunities for Indonesians. 

"The challenge now is that Starlink wants to work over-the-top, conducting business in Indonesia but refuses to absorb local Indonesian workers. This must be discussed further," he concluded.

ANTARA

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