Local telecommunication operator PT Smartfren Telecom will take over the operations of 4G LTE mobile internet provider Bolt PT Internux, affiliated with Indonesian conglomerate Lippo Group, whose frequency permit was recently terminated by the government the company failing to pay the fees to operate a 4G LTE network.
“We have made this agreement as part of our support for Bolt customers. Its customers are now able to replace their 4G cards to our Smartfren Now+ prepaid SIM cards for free,” Smartfren’s deputy CEO Djoko Tata Ibrahim said in a statement.
To have their Smartfren SIM cards activated, Djoko said, Bolt customers were required to verify their accounts at one of its Smartfren’s 28 special outlets across Greater Jakarta and Medan in North Sumatra.
“Following the takeover, Bolt's customers can get internet services on a wider scale, since the Smartfren network service is available in more than 200 cities in the country,” he added.
Last week, the Communications and Information Ministry revoked the 4G broadband license of PT Internux over unpaid fees totaling Rp 5.65 trillion. The revocation affected only Bolt customers, not those subscribing to cable internet and TV services.