PT Sampoerna Telekomunikasi Indonesia (STI), which offers 4G services under the brand name Net1 Indonesia, has expanded its 4G LTE network to the island of Bali. In a statement, the mobile network operator’s (MNO’s) chief executive officer Larry Ridwan noted: ‘Bali is one of the provinces that support the nation’s economy through its tourism industry. Over time, the tourism industry is not merely important as a tourist destination, but also to provide growth for supporting industries, especially in remote parts of Bali island. Industrial growth is increasingly stretching the local economy and that makes us have a strong commitment to Bali.’ In the first phase, STI is looking to cover all areas of the island from Gilimanuk to the eastern end of Gili Selang. Net1 is already active in the 4G segment in eastern Indonesia, with LTE infrastructure live in areas including the provinces of South Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) and Maluku. Currently, STI is migrating from CDMA-450 to LTE-450 in Bali – a process it aims to complete by the end of 2017.
STI, part of the Sampoerna Strategic Group business, is the only telecommunication operator in Indonesia operating at a frequency of 450MHz using CDMA2000 1x technology. It has full mobility licences with national coverage. Currently, the range of STI services covers the islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Bali, Nusa Tenggara and Maluku.