Jakarta, INTI – Indonesia’s internet quality continues to face serious challenges amid the growing demand for digital services from both society and industry. Despite ongoing infrastructure development, the country’s internet speed has yet to compete with neighboring countries in Southeast Asia. This situation underscores the need for concrete solutions to ensure Indonesia’s digital competitiveness does not fall behind. One strategic step considered crucial is the utilization of new frequency spectrum, particularly the 2.6 GHz band. This issue has emerged in various national telecommunications policy discussions throughout December 2025, alongside evaluations of Indonesia’s internet performance at the regional and global levels.
Spectrum as the Key to Improving Network Quality
Telecommunications observer and Executive Director of the Indonesia ICT Institute, Heru Sutadi, believes that frequency spectrum is the fundamental foundation for improving the quality of cellular networks. According to him, the availability of new spectrum, including the 2.6 GHz band, remains highly relevant to boosting national internet speed while also improving Indonesia’s position in global rankings.
Heru explained that spectrum is akin to the primary “raw material” of cellular networks. Without sufficient spectrum availability, increasing network capacity and service quality will be difficult, even if network infrastructure continues to be upgraded.
The 2.6 GHz Band Considered Ideal for High-Density Areas
From a technical perspective, the 2.6 GHz band offers greater capacity compared to low-frequency spectrum. This makes it ideal for accommodating surging data traffic, particularly in urban areas and regions with high user density.
Supported by carrier aggregation technology and the optimization of LTE-Advanced and 5G, the utilization of this band is expected to have a direct impact on improving the internet speeds experienced by users. Without additional mid-band spectrum, network speed improvements are likely to reach their limits more quickly.
Spectrum’s Impact on Global Rankings
Heru also emphasized that global internet speed rankings are not determined solely by network coverage, but also by the actual throughput experienced by users. Countries with high internet performance generally possess sufficient, contiguous spectrum portfolios that can be optimally utilized by operators.
Therefore, the addition of spectrum remains an important prerequisite for driving improvements in Indonesia’s ranking, although it is not the only determining factor.
Supporting Policies as a Determining Factor for Success
Although new spectrum is essential, Heru stressed that its benefits will not be maximized without appropriate supporting policies. He highlighted the need for spectrum policies that are favorable to both operators and the public, including rational spectrum pricing, sufficiently wide contiguous frequency blocks, and long-term regulatory certainty.
In addition, accelerating the implementation of meaningful, use-case-driven 5G is considered critical. Speed improvements cannot rely solely on the 5G label, but must be supported by BTS densification, backhaul fiberization, and the development of use cases for industry, smart cities, and digital public services.
Strengthening Fiber Networks and Regulatory Reform
Mobile internet speed is also highly dependent on the quality of the national fiber optic network. Integrating fiber networks all the way to BTS sites needs to be a priority to ensure that radio capacity is not hindered by backhaul bottlenecks.
Meanwhile, regional licensing barriers, land lease costs, and tower construction regulations remain challenges in network development. Simplifying cross-sector regulations is expected to have a direct impact on improving service quality.
Indonesia’s Internet Position in Southeast Asia
Amid these efforts, Indonesia’s internet performance has shown signs of improvement. Based on the Speedtest Global Index by Ookla as of December 2025, Indonesia ranked seventh in Southeast Asia, with a median mobile internet download speed of 50.77 Mbps. Indonesia is ahead of Cambodia and Laos, but still lags behind Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.
Conclusion
The utilization of the 2.6 GHz frequency represents a strategic step toward improving Indonesia’s internet speed and strengthening national digital competitiveness. However, the success of this effort will largely depend on appropriate spectrum policies, accelerated 5G implementation, strengthened fiber networks, and regulatory reform. With strong policy and infrastructure synergy, Indonesia has the opportunity to accelerate its digital transformation and improve its standing on the global stage.
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