Jakarta, INTI - Around 80.6% of Indonesia’s population is now connected to the internet.
Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Nezar Patria said this high level of connectivity should serve as a foundation for Indonesia to become an active player in the digital ecosystem, rather than simply a market for global products and platforms.
“With this number, we have tremendous market power. But we should not stop at market power alone. We need to become a significant player in the rapidly growing digital ecosystem,” Deputy Minister Nezar said while attending the 20th anniversary of the Indonesian Internet Domain Name Registry (PANDI) in South Jakarta on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.
According to Nezar, one important element of Indonesia’s position in the digital landscape is the adoption of the .id domain.
PANDI recorded that the number of .id domains has now reached approximately 1.5 million.
The government, together with PANDI and industry stakeholders, therefore needs to expand the adoption of .id domains among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), educational institutions, and public services.
Nezar said the use of Indonesia’s national domain can make local services and economic activities more easily identifiable across the internet.
“The government, together with PANDI and industry, needs to expand the adoption of .id domains among SMEs, educational institutions, and public services,” Nezar said.
Bringing Indonesian Culture to the Digital Space
Nezar also views the .id domain as an opportunity to bring Indonesia’s linguistic and cultural wealth into the digital environment.
He highlighted the availability of Balinese language and script within .id domains as an example of how local cultural elements can be represented online.
“The .id domain is not simply two letters, ID. Behind it lies the symbol and wealth of the Nusantara’s culture, knowledge, and wisdom,” he said.
According to Nezar, bringing regional languages and scripts into the digital space is becoming increasingly important as younger generations are exposed more easily to foreign cultures through the internet.
“We have so many languages, yet our younger generation is increasingly unfamiliar with them,” he said.
Strengthening Security and Digital Trust
Amid the continued growth of domain adoption, Nezar also emphasized that security must be incorporated from the earliest stages of digital service development.
He said .id-based services need to address risks including fraud, harmful content, child exploitation, and improper data collection.
“Security and trust must be built from the planning stage,” Nezar said.
He also called on PANDI to establish stronger data-sharing mechanisms with registries, registrars, internet service providers, cybersecurity organizations, and incident response teams to detect and address domain abuse.
Beyond security, Nezar stressed that access to .id domains should remain open, inclusive, interoperable, and affordable.
Universal Acceptance readiness is also essential to ensure that domain names using different languages and scripts can be accessed and used widely across digital platforms.
As Indonesia marks two decades of national domain management, Nezar said PANDI’s success should not be measured solely by the number of registered domains.
Instead, he hopes .id will increasingly become an integral part of how Indonesians conduct their daily activities and participate in the digital economy.
Conclusion
With 80.6% of Indonesians now connected to the internet, the country has significant potential to strengthen its position in the global digital ecosystem. Expanding the adoption of .id domains, while ensuring security, inclusivity, interoperability, and affordability, can help strengthen Indonesia’s digital identity and support local businesses, public services, and cultural representation online. Moving forward, the challenge is not only to grow digital connectivity, but also to turn that connectivity into greater participation, innovation, and digital sovereignty.
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