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Digital equality in Indonesia jeopardized by alleged BTS corruption
An alleged corruption in 4G base transceiver station (BTS) provision for the frontier, outermost and remote regions (3T) will cause great damage to the Indonesian people, experts say, as the case will most likely halt the government’s priority program to fast-track high-speed network deployment throughout the archipelago.
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Clear signal: A technician maintains a 4G Base Transceiver Station (BTS) tower in Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta, on July 13, 2018. The information- and communication-technology industry is one of several sectors that have maintained growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
A
n alleged corruption in the 4G base transceiver station (BTS) provision for the frontier, outermost and remote regions (3T) will cause great damage to the Indonesian people, experts say, as the case will most likely halt the government’s priority program to fast-track high-speed network deployment throughout the archipelago.
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) is currently investigating a suspected corruption in the BTS project meant for 4G infrastructure spearheaded by Telecommunication and Information Accessibility Agency (BAKTI) under the Communications and Information Ministry (Kominfo).
“Due to this case, the regions that were meant to get telecommunication service in 2024 will have to wait longer. [We] feel sorry for the people in the 3T regions because of the delay,” said chair of Indonesian Internet Providers Association (APJII) Arif Angga to The Jakarta Post, on Tuesday.
Arif explained that his organization values proper and affordable telecommunication service as a primary need, hence the importance of the government’s presence in providing it within the 3T regions.
“For APJII, the most important thing is how our brothers and sisters in the 3T regions can get telecommunication service,” said Arif.
Not only in BTS, he continued, but any project debilitated by embezzlement will impact said project’s continuity immensely. And this is “not the first time that embezzlement in telecommunication projects has happened in Indonesia,” said Arif, referring to one example in the case of District Internet Service Center Car (MPLIK).
The fund for that project came from the universal service obligation (USO) fee of telecommunication operators -- in which APJII was involved -- and the people paid a heavy toll due to the embezzlement.
