Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:14 | Internet and Telecommunication | Editorial INTI
Jakarta, INTI – Over the past five years, Indonesia has experienced significant growth in internet penetration, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This phenomenon led to a surge in internet usage, especially in residential areas.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, internet usage in the corporate sector declined temporarily. However, household internet usage increased sharply. Work-from-home (WFH) and School-From-Home (SFH) policies accelerated internet adoption across various regions. The period of 2020–2021 saw the most significant growth in internet penetration, reaching approximately 73.7%. Post-pandemic, internet penetration has continued to grow at a more stable rate of around 1–2% per year.
In an exclusive interview with INTI MEDIA on Monday, February 17, 2025, Mr. Zulfadly Syam, General-Secretary of APJII (Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association), shared his insights: "The growth has been quite positive. At the start of COVID, corporate internet usage declined as many companies reduced their consumption. However, residential usage surged. The school-from-home and work-from-home policies accelerated internet adoption even in rural areas. This resulted in a significant increase in internet penetration during the pandemic. Currently, penetration remains stable, growing by around 1–2% per year. The highest penetration rate occurred between 2020 and 2021."
According to APJII, as of 2024, the number of internet users in Indonesia reached 221.56 million out of a total population of 278.69 million (as of 2023). The internet penetration rate stood at 79.5%, reflecting a 1.4% increase from the previous period.
Despite the steady increase in internet penetration, one of the major challenges remains equitable access across all regions of Indonesia, particularly in 3T areas (frontier, outermost, and underdeveloped regions). Telecommunications infrastructure has yet to fully reach remote areas, such as small islands with scattered populations.
Mr. Zulfadly Syam highlighted the key challenges in ensuring equal internet access: "Building comprehensive infrastructure to serve all of Indonesia is not an easy task. Our population is spread across numerous small islands, making it difficult to establish fully integrated infrastructure. Additionally, internet service providers tend to invest in financially lucrative areas, leaving underdeveloped regions as a lower priority. A well-planned strategy and collaboration with the government are essential to addressing these issues and ensuring that internet access is available to all communities."
To enhance and expand internet access across Indonesia, the government has taken an active role through various programs, particularly BAKTI (Telecommunications and Information Accessibility Agency). BAKTI serves as an acceleration body to improve communication and technology access, especially in regions with limited infrastructure.
"The government has demonstrated real commitment through the establishment of BAKTI, which focuses on accelerating telecommunications and technology development. However, further improvements are needed in infrastructure planning, utilization, and optimization. Collaboration between the government and APJII is crucial to ensuring that existing infrastructure is fully utilized. Additionally, digital literacy must be prioritized so that people in remote areas can make the most of internet connectivity." Added Mr. Zulfadly Syam
Indonesia has witnessed a significant increase in internet penetration, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and continues to experience steady growth. However, the biggest challenge remains equitable access in remote areas due to infrastructure limitations and business models adopted by internet service providers. The government’s initiatives through BAKTI, along with collaboration with the private sector, play a key role in ensuring widespread internet accessibility. With the right strategies, the goal of providing reliable and equitable internet access to all Indonesians can be achieved.
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