As reported by kompas.com, mobile operator Telkomsel had prepared a special SIM card that would be distributed for free to suit the needs of the athletes, coaches and officials involved in the sporting event.

"It will contain different packages," Telkomsel president director Ririek Adriansyah said in Lampung on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com. 

"Volunteers need it to coordinate, so we will increase the voice [call package]. And when athletes need more [internet] data, we will include more of that as well," Ririek added. 

The SIM card will be preloaded with the necessary data packages and can be reloaded according to each individual's needs. 

Read also: Jakpost guide to Asian Games 2018: Jakarta

Every volunteer, athlete and official will be registered with the Indonesian Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC), including all foreign participants and their passport details. Participants' names and passport details will be used as the registration data for the SIM cards. 

As many as 100 Telkomsel GraPari branches will be opened at all Games venues to serve the communication needs of the athletes and officials.

Sukardi Silalahi, Telkomsel's sales director, said as many as 27,000 preloaded cards have been prepared. 

Besides releasing special cards for the athletes and the officials involved in the event, the company will also launch a limited number for the public as collectible items.

"About 500,000 special cards for the public will be distributed at GraPari branches throughout the archipelago," Sukardi said. "We consider this to be a special event that happens once every four years and we hope that those who own [the cards] will be proud and keep it as souvenirs." (liz/kes)