Indonesia’s XL Axiata has received a 5G network operating licence from the country’s Ministry of Communication and Information, known as KemKominfo.
On 12th August, Kemkominfo stated that XL Axiata had passed the required Operational Appropriate Test (ULO) – carried out from 3rd - 5th August in the city of Depok – to obtain its Operational Appropriate Certificate (SKLO). Minister of Communications and Information Johnny G Plate said that the receipt of the SKLO meant that XL Axiata was “technically declared ready to operate.”
The operator has permits to use a 20MHz block of 1800MHz spectrum for 5G use. TeleGeography reports that it will also use its existing 2100MHz holding to offer 4G and 5G using Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), which the operator describes as “an alternative choice considering the limited frequency that XL Axiata has to deploy 5G.”
XL Axiata CEO Dian Siswarini stated that the operator would launch services in four cities – Bandung, Jakarta, Surabaya and Yogyakarta – from mid-August 2021, but that it was prepared to “gradually expand…its service area coverage” nationwide.