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Indosat to spend another Rp 9.5 trillion this year to expand 4G network
Indosat Ooredoo expanded its 4G reach to nearly 90 percent of the Indonesian population at the end of 2019, a steady increase from the 44 percent of the population covered in 2017.
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A customer talks with an Indosat representative at a shopping mall in Jakarta. (Tribun Timur via Kompas.com/Muh. Abdiwan)
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T Indosat Tbk (Indosat Ooredoo), one of Indonesia’s major telecommunications providers, will allocate another Rp 9.5 trillion (US$654 million) in capital expenditure (capex) this year to finance its 4G coverage expansion, the company's top executive has said.
Indosat Ooredoo director and chief operating officer Vikram Sinha said in Jakarta on Wednesday that the expansion of its 4G network would be the focus of the company’s business strategy for the next two years.
This year’s capex rose 11.76 percent from last year’s Rp 8.5 trillion, which was also mostly used to expand the 4G network coverage in the country. “Our 4G network now covers more than 90 percent of the population. This year, we will focus on improving our indoor coverage, improving our latency [rates],” Vikram told The Jakarta Post.
Indosat Ooredoo expanded its 4G reach to nearly 90 percent of the Indonesian population by the end of 2019, a steady increase from the 44 percent of the population covered in 2017.
Vikram added that the network rollout could be seen as an example of the company’s support for Indonesia’s agenda of developing its digital economy.
“The role of telco [telecommunications companies] is very big in building the digital economy,” he said, explaining that a digital economy relied on data that was mainly delivered through telecommunication networks provided by companies like Indosat Ooredoo.
The expansion is part of Indosat Ooredoo’s three-year growth strategy, which the company started last year.
