Mobile network operator (MNO) XL Axiata has announced that its network fibre-optic rollout project is proceeding as planned and that by mid-2020, 53% of base transceiver stations (BTS) targeted for connection this year will have been successfully ‘fiberised’ – mainly covering the Java region. The MNO’s ongoing fibre rollout continues despite the current COVID-19 pandemic, with chief technology officer I Gede Darmayusa saying that the programme is designed ‘to improve the quality of data networks … as part of preparation for the implementation of 5G in the future’.
To date, XL Axiata’s network fiberisation programme has been implemented in all provincial capitals and large cities, especially in areas where it is experiencing high levels of data growth/demand. By June 2020 it reports that fibre had been deployed in no fewer than 200 cities and regencies, including Jakarta, Surabaya, Semarang, Medan, Bandung, Palembang, Makassar, Balikpapan, Denpasar, Manado, Cirebon, Bekasi, Banjarmasin and Malang. In addition, fiberisation has also been carried out in districts such as Deli Serdang, Aceh Besar, Lebak, Berau, Indramayu, Kendal, Jembrana and East Lombok. By the end of 2020, XL Axiata estimates that some 60%-70% of BTS will have been connected to fibre. TeleGeography notes that the operator also offers residential fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband services with a focus in and around Central Java, West Java and DI Yogyakarta.
Source: https://www.commsupdate.com/articles/2020/06/23/xl-axiata-2020-fiberisation-project-on-track/