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Slow 5G rollout jeopardizes RI tech advancement
Without a robust communication infrastructure, experts warn, Southeast Asia’s biggest economy will fall behind regional peers in industries that demand high-speed, low-latency connectivity.
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A tower owned by PT Dayamitra Telekomunikasi (Mitratel) is pictured in an undated photograph in Langsa, Aceh. (Mitratel/-)
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ommunication service providers are pushing for progress in the rollout of 5G networks across the country, warning that without the next-generation wireless technology, Indonesia could miss out on opportunities in industries like manufacturing, health care and smart cities.
“The [availability of] ultra-low latency [services] is crucial for new industries like telemedicine and autonomous vehicles,” Raditio Ghifiardi, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison’s vice president of security strategy and architecture, said on the sidelines of the GITEX Global conference in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, on Oct. 16.
Noting that Indonesia is in competition with other countries, industry insiders say the delayed adoption of robust 5G infrastructure could see Southeast Asia’s biggest economy fall behind regional peers in emerging technologies.
With higher speed, reduced latency and greater capacity than older data connections, 5G enabled seamless connectivity and new forms of interaction, he explained, paving the way to improve industries, enable smart cities and accelerate the development of artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, augmented reality (AR) and the Internet of Things (IoT).
“But without proper support, including [making available] digital talent and secure infrastructure, it will be a challenge to roll out 5G smoothly,” he continued.
Raditio said the adoption of 5G connectivity would require time for industry players to adjust and make substantial investment in cloud-based, virtualized infrastructure, “especially since it requires more sophisticated infrastructure.”
While 5G services remain unavailable in much of Indonesia, Chinese telco ZTE has played a major role in the development of so-called 5G-Advanced (5G-A), a technology that exceeds the performance of 5G but is not yet considered 6G.
