Telkomsel (Telekomunikasi Selular), the majority-owned mobile subsidiary of Indonesia’s largest telecoms company Telkom, says it is expanding its 4G LTE network across Indonesia, in a bid to provide mobile internet access to even the most far-flung parts of the country – including the so-called ‘3T’ (underdeveloped, foremost, and remote) areas.
The cellco’s 4G deployment is grouped into four operational areas now served, IndoTelko notes, broken down as: Area 1 (Sumatra), Area 2 (Banten, DKI Jakarta, West Java), Area 3 (Central Java, DIY, East Java, Bali, NTT, NTB), and Area 4 (Papua, Maluku, Sulawesi, Kalimantan). In particular, Telkomsel is focusing its efforts in Sumatra, where recently it switched on its 4G signal in Pasiah Laweh Village, West Sumatra, by utilising the ‘Compact Mobile BTS (COMBAT)’ infrastructure. A similar approach was reportedly deployed in Woloklibang Village (East Nusa Tenggara), Petir Village (Yogyakarta Special Region) and Nain Village (North Sulawesi), it said.
Telkomsel is looking to deploy 4G networks in all villages in Indonesia by 2022.