Jakarta, INTI – The internet has become an essential necessity in modern life, not only in urban areas but also in various regions. Unfortunately, despite rapid technological advancements, equal access and internet quality in Indonesia still face numerous challenges. With more than 221.5 million internet users, Indonesia is one of the countries with the largest number of internet users globally. However, as of 2023, internet penetration in Indonesia has only reached 79.5% of the total population of 278.6 million people.
In an exclusive interview with INTI MEDIA on Monday, February 17, 2025, Mr. Zulfadly Syam, General-Secretary of APJII (Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association), highlighted several major challenges hindering internet progress in Indonesia—ranging from high bandwidth costs and the difficulty of building networks in archipelagic areas to the increasing public demand for faster and more stable connections.
Why Is Bandwidth Still Expensive?
One of the biggest obstacles in Indonesia's internet industry is the high cost of international bandwidth. In the early days of internet development, users had to access global services like Yahoo and Hotmail through international routes, significantly increasing connection costs.
"In the past, when we sent an email, the data traffic had to go through international routes first, making it very expensive," Mr. Zulfadly Syam explained.
To address this issue, better infrastructure is needed so that more data traffic can be handled domestically without reliance on international routes.
An Archipelagic Country: Is Internet Access More Difficult?
As a country with thousands of islands, Indonesia faces unique challenges in building a well-distributed internet infrastructure. While connections in major cities like Jakarta and Surabaya may be stable, many remote areas still struggle to access decent internet services.
"Building internet infrastructure in Indonesia is not as easy as in countries with vast landmasses. We have to deal with geographical challenges, such as the sea separating islands, which makes network development more expensive and complex," Mr. Zulfadly explained.
Significant investments and policies supporting internet expansion are required to ensure all Indonesians enjoy equal digital access. Currently, fixed broadband internet penetration, or home internet, only reaches around 15% nationwide.
Why Is the Internet Still Slow?
Today, people increasingly rely on the internet for work, education, and entertainment. However, unstable service quality remains a major complaint in many areas.
"People today can no longer tolerate slow connections or buffering while streaming. Network quality must continue to improve," said Mr. Zulfadly.
Improving quality is a significant challenge for internet service providers. They must continuously invest in the latest technology to ensure network speed and stability meet the growing public demand. According to the Speedtest Global Index, as of November 2024, the average download speed for fixed broadband in Indonesia is 32.05 Mbps, while the upload speed is 19.87 Mbps. Meanwhile, for mobile internet, the download speed is 29.06 Mbps, with an upload speed of approximately 14 Mbps.
Conclusion: Can Indonesia’s Internet Improve?
Internet development in Indonesia still faces many challenges, from high bandwidth costs and difficult geographical conditions to increasing demands for better network quality. However, with collaboration between the government, service providers, and organizations like APJII, achieving a faster, more stable, and evenly distributed internet is not impossible.
As Mr. Zulfadly stated, "There is still a lot of work to be done to truly achieve internet equality in Indonesia. But with good cooperation, I am optimistic that we can achieve it."
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