Indonesian mobile network operator (MNO) Indosat Ooredoo has announced the commercial launch of its 5G network in the city of Surakarta (aka Solo). Available to both the business and mass market segments, the MNO’s new ultra-high speed 5G service is aimed at ‘empowering the city’s economic recovery and digital transformation,’ it said in a statement. The commercial launch has been enabled by a partnership with the Surakarta authorities and includes cooperation in ‘micro and small medium enterprise (SMEs) empowerment, digital talent education, and smart city development,’ it noted. The service rollout was supported by Huawei Indonesia whose CEO, Jacky Chen, said that the advent of 5G would help ‘drive innovation’ in the city. With services now live in Surakarta, Indosat Ooredoo now plans to extend its footprint with the launch of commercial 5G services in other cities, including Jakarta, Surabaya and Makassar, where there is ‘high consumer demand for data services,’ it said.
As previously reported by CommsUpdate, Indosat Ooredoo held a 5G Operation Feasibility Test (ULO) on 3-4 June using the 1800MHz band – unlike rival Telkomsel which recently launched 5G over its newly-acquired 2300MHz spectrum. TeleGeography notes that ULO testing is an important prerequisite to clear the path for the deployment of new technologies in Indonesia, carried out on the basis of Ministerial Regulation Number 1 of 2010 concerning the Operation of Telecommunication Networks. Mobile operators are required to complete ULO testing before securing approval for a commercial launch to the public.
Source: https://www.commsupdate.com/articles/2021/06/23/indosat-launches-5g-in-surakarta/