Indonesian telco Indosat has the main priority of strengthening its 4G network to boost coverage while it continues to deploy 5G technology, Vikram Sinha, president and CEO of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, told RCR Wireless News.
“While 5G is on the horizon, we understand the importance of maintaining a strong 4G network. In Indonesia, 4G device penetration remains significantly higher than 5G. Therefore, our primary focus is on expanding and fortifying our 4G network, ensuring our stakeholders can continue to rely on our services,” Sinha said.
The executive explained that Indosat has already launched 5G services in eight cities across Indonesia, including Jakarta, Makassar and Bali. “Our focus has been on launching the service in areas with smart city or Industry 4.0 use cases, such as government offices and industrial areas,” he said.
“In the case of 5G, it is not about being the first. It is about ensuring that the complete ecosystem of spectrum, devices, applications and use cases is ready so that customers see the technology’s benefits. We are focused on creating this ecosystem. Much investment is needed in the 5G network, but we also need to think carefully about how we will monetize it. This is why we focus on working with partners to develop new use cases and applications that deliver real customer value,” he added.
Commenting on the telco’s O-RAN strategy, Sinha noted that the company sees this technology as an enabler in its efforts to further expand and strengthen network coverage in rural areas of Indonesia. “Its disaggregated architecture and open interfaces offer unparalleled flexibility, allowing us to deploy cost-effective solutions tailored to the unique challenges of rural connectivity. With O-RAN, we can overcome traditional infrastructure barriers and efficiently deliver high-quality services to remote areas. It is also very promising to see traditional RAN vendors adopt O-RAN technologies in their future roadmaps.”
He went on to say that O-RAN also holds great promise for future 5G deployment. “By leveraging O-RAN principles, we can enhance interoperability, scalability and agility in our 5G networks, paving the way for transformative experiences and innovations for customers,” the executive said.
In 2021, Indosat collaborated with the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) to conduct what it claimed to be the first O-RAN field trial in Indonesia in Maluku.
“We are also partnering with organizations like TIP and O-RAN Alliance to drive innovation in Indonesia and foster digital inclusion. Looking forward, we will continue to explore how to leverage O-RAN technology to extend digital connectivity to every corner of Indonesia,” said Sinha.
Indosat is embracing artificial intelligence (AI) with the main aim of transforming into an AI-native company from a traditional telco. “This means that we are changing from a company that only provides connectivity to one that leverages new technologies—cloud, AI and cybersecurity—and partnerships with global technology companies to offer digital services and experiences on top of our connectivity and to drive the productivity of our operations,” said Sinha.
“Our focus on data analytics and AI is not just a strategic move but a commitment to our more than 100 million customers. We believe that these technologies are foundational elements for enhancing their experience. Another key focus is on AI-cloud services. In February 2024, we announced a partnership with NVIDIA, through our subsidiary Lintasarta as the national preferred cloud provider, to establish Indonesia’s sovereign AI cloud capabilities, positioning the nation at the forefront of the global AI cloud community,” the executive said.
In September 2021, Indosat had announced a merger with Hutchison 3 Indonesia to form Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison. The merger was closed on January 4, 2022. The telco currently has over 100 million customers.
“Indosat delivered remarkable achievements after the merger and network integration last year. Over the last 30 months, we have already reached more than $400 million in annualized synergies and we have completed most of the integration initiatives, mainly around network integration, although there is still some work to do,” the executive added.
Source: https://www.rcrwireless.com/20240709/4g/indosat-put-main-focus-4g-expansion-ceo