PT Sampoerna Telekomunikasi Indonesia (STI), which changed the firm’s trademark from Ceria to Net1 Indonesia in May 2017 as part of its planned migration from CDMA to a 4G LTE-based service operating at 450MHz, has teamed up with MNC Vision to offer TV broadcast services for rural and remote communities. The pair say the collaboration is designed to plug gaps in areas where there is minimal or no internet connection, and will use Net1’s superfast LTE network to deliver entertainment services including paid television content. IndoTelko notes that the result of the collaboration focuses on a new ‘Super Bundle’ package which they believe can be the answer to rural communities’ needs for quality TV shows and increasing internet connectivity. Research from Media Partners Asia (MPA) research suggested that the subscription TV market in Indonesia reached just 5.6 million customers in 2017, while a survey of the Indonesian Internet Service Providers (APJII) shows that internet user penetration in 2017 reached 143.26 million of the population.
Net1 Indonesia claims to be able to reach all corners of Indonesia, including East Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Bali, Sulawesi (Makassar) and Ambon. MNC President Hari Susanto says of the partnership: ‘We really appreciate Net1 as a good partner for us to deliver 4G LTE fast internet services with extensive Net1 coverage, especially in remote areas. Indonesian families can now feel comfortable watching while on the internet with MNC Vision and Net1.’ The Net1 Super Bundle package is priced at IDR399,000 (USD27.5) per month for a 50GB quota.