KOMPAS.com – The 5G network in Indonesia has not yet been implemented. However, the government has begun to prepare for its presence, one of which is by farming the frequency spectrum of 1,880 Mhz.
Ismail, Director General of Resources and Equipment of Post and Information Technology (Dirjen SDPPI) of the Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo), said that the 5G network will be used for four main priorities.
First, as he explained in the online event “Unlocking 5G Potential for Digital Economy in Indonesia, Thursday (24/9/2020), is to support the five government work priorities that have been proclaimed since the formation of the Forward Indonesia Cabinet for the 2019-2025 term.
Ismail said recently, President Joko Widodo instructed the Ministry of Communication and Information (Kemenkominfo) to realize the acceleration of digital transformation. Second, the 5G network is expected to encourage the Making Indonesia 4.0 program, a roadmap to implement a strategy to enter the industrial era 4.0.
“Given the very low latency capability, which can change the face of the industry, so that it becomes a modern industry that can produce products at a more efficient cost,” said Ismail.
Third, Ismail hopes that 5G will later be able to encourage the growth of five super priority tourist destinations which he said are now affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The five tourist destinations in question are Lake Toba (North Sumatra), Borobudur (Central Java), Mandalika (NTB), Labuan Bajo (NTT), and Likupang (North Sulawesi).
Lastly, the 5G network is expected to assist development in the new nation’s capital city which is planned to be built in Sepaku District, North Penajam Paser Regency (PPU). However, this grand project must now be postponed due to the ongoing pandemic.
Ismail said when the construction of the new nation’s capital city was completed, the communication technology installed would be the most modern. “Preparing the capital city of a new country so that 5G can be present there immediately when the new country’s capital is designated as the capital of Indonesia,” concluded Ismail.
Ivan Samuels, a researcher from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) said that ideally the 5G network should be implemented in Indonesia by 2023.
The government itself has prepared three spectrum layers, namely the Super Data Layer (high band) in the 26/28 GHz spectrum, the Capacity Layer (middle band) at the 2.3/2.6/3.3/3.5 GHz frequency, and the coverage layer (low band) at 700 MHz.