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Digital cooperative to boost Internet infrastructure
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Digital literacy -- School students use Internet to work on activities during an event in Jakarta recently. (Tempo/-)
T
o tackle the existing gap among local Internet service providers (ISPs), an Indonesian Internet service provider association says it will utilize its newly formed digital cooperative to collectively buy major Internet infrastructure, which can be used by all of its members.
The Indonesian Internet Providers Association (APJII) said the cooperative, namely the Independent Indonesian Digital Cooperative (KDIM), it established together with the Indonesian Information and Telecommunications Society (Mastel) in May, could help all Internet users to develop digital sovereignty in the country.
APJII secretary general Henri Kasyfi Soemartono said the cooperative aimed to launch a special savings program to collectively buy expensive infrastructure such as satellites.
“A satellite could be worth Rp 3 trillion [US$228 million]. If each person pays Rp 1 million, we would need just three million people [to buy a satellite] while the number of our Internet users has reached 100 million people. It’s just 3 percent out of it,” Henri said in Jakarta on Monday.
Meanwhile, APJII chairman Jamalul Izza said the cooperative would help ease the infrastructure problems faced by most of its members.
“Among APJII’s 350 members, around 40 companies have their own infrastructure. Out of the total, only two or three members have extensive infrastructure, which is still not enough to cover all regions in the country. But at least we could work together to solve the [deficient Internet] problem,” Jamalul said. (vps/ebf)
