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View all search resultsBacklash after man jailed for reselling Starlink service on remote island
The suspension of the Starlink-based service following Yogi’s arrest had directly affected schools, teachers, students and digitally based micro, small and medium-sized businesses on North Pagai Island.
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An antenna of the Starlink satellite-based broadband system donated by American tech billionaire Elon Musk transmits data on Sept. 25, 2022, in Izyum, Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
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man in West Sumatra’s Mentawai Islands faces criminal charges for providing Starlink-based internet services in an area with limited fiber-optic connectivity, sparking public concern that authorities are penalizing a service that has helped bridge the remote islands’ digital access gap.
Yogi Gilang Arya Setia was arrested by Mentawai Islands police on July 8, with authorities alleging that he operated a telecommunications business without the required permit.
Yogi’s lawyer, Romi Martianus, said his client bought a Starlink satellite internet device in 2024 and installed it at a guesthouse owned by his parents in Sikakap district, in North Pagai Island for personal use.
“But with telecommunications services in the village scarce and unreliable, Yogi began providing the Starlink connection to local residents as well as government offices, local companies and the local police station,” Romi said as quoted by CNN Indonesia.
North Pagai is the smallest of the four main Mentawai Islands, an archipelago off the western coast of Sumatra, located about 135 to 150 kilometers from the mainland.
Residents in the remote islands have long complained about unreliable and costly internet services, with many communities lacking stable, high-speed connectivity.
Romi said that as demand grew, Yogi expanded the network and established PT Mentawai Network Provider in October last year to provide internet services to the wider community. Shortly afterward, however, Mentawai police named Yogi a suspect for allegedly providing telecommunications services without the required permit, Romi said.
