Indonesia’s state-owned and largest telecom company, Telkomsel, launched its commercial 5G mobile services in May 2021. At the beginning, 5G services will be rolled out to six residential locations in Greater Jakarta: Kelapa Gading, Pondok Indah, Pantai Indah Kapuk, Widya Chandra, Bumi Serpong Damai dan Alam Sutera. These areas were chosen because of the potentially lucrative demand for data services. Gradually, 5G services will also be introduced to other cities outside Jakarta, such as Solo, Medan, Balikpapan, Denpasar, Batam, Surabaya, Makassar and Bandung.
With the newly unveiled 5G technology, consumers will be able to enjoy immersive and enhanced video, high-definition music, cloud gaming, augmented and virtual reality. Additionally, 5G services will also benefit multiple industries, from manufacturing, utilities to the media.
A new report by Ericsson ConsumerLab reveals that around 5 million smartphone users in Indonesia could take up 5G in the first two years of commercial networks being made available. Also, Indonesian consumers are also found to be willing to pay 50% more for 5G plans bundled with digital services.
Currently, Telkomsel is utilizing its existing 4G infrastructure for its 5G networks. In the future, the company plans to establish standalone 5G.
(Sources: Ericsson; Kompas; The Jakarta Post; The Star)