Rudiantara said that the Palapa Ring Satellite would be completed by the end of 2018 or early 2019, adding that the high-speed internet satellite would be in orbit by 2022.

"I guarantee that before 2024, all of Indonesia will be connected to high-speed internet," Rudiantara said on Wednesday in Surabaya, East Java.

While the Palapa Ring was being built, Rudiantara said the government was developing internet access to the "3T regions", referring to areas in the borderland, outermost and remote regions of the country.

"We will first rent a satellite to connect the high-speed internet infrastructure that has begun to be built in the 3T regions. Later, we will move it to the Palapa Ring Satellite when it is in orbit," he said. 

Read also: Each regency to have broadband connection by 2019: Minister

He added that the government was prioritizing the development of high-speed internet infrastructure for schools. 

Out of the approximately 324,000 schools in Indonesia, nearly 100,000 presently have an adequate internet connection.

"They all have to be able to access high-speed internet for the teaching and learning processes," Rudiantara said. 

The government was also working on developing high-speed internet infrastructure for around 10,000 puskesmas, or community health centers, as well as police stations, military facilities, villages and about 75 subdistricts.

"But we are still prioritizing high-speed internet access for all schools across Indonesia," Rudiantara stressed. (liz/kes)  

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