The
potential of Indonesia’s 3G network
Benhard Siagian ; Country Manager of Qualcomm Indonesia
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JAKARTA
POST, 17 Maret 2013
As
the number of Twitter and Facebook users in Indonesia continues to rise, it
is no secret that the country has established itself as home to the most
digital and social media users in Southeast Asia. In TIME Magazine’s global
Mobility Poll, it found that Indonesians particularly enjoyed the ability
to connect with others using mobile devices and believed that the latest
mobile technology was essential for keeping in touch with friends and
family.
While SMS remains the main function of mobile phones for Indonesians,
mobile Internet services follow closely behind. Not only are people using
their mobile devices to stay in touch with their friends and listen to
music and videos, a growing number of Indonesians are also using these
devices for business activities such as email and file transfer. According
to the TIME Mobility Poll, Indonesians are more likely than citizens of the
other countries surveyed to use wireless devices for business purposes and
93 percent of those surveyed said mobile technology has made Indonesia a
more efficient place to do business.
The poll also stated that existing mobile technology has helped citizens
improve their quality of life by providing them with access to information
on areas such as health, well-being and public education. In Indonesia,
there is also a budding market for different kinds of online businesses,
which is likely to lead to higher demand for fast and reliable 3G services
from operators.
With such an appreciation for the value of mobility, the potential of 3G in
the country is enormous and it is well-positioned to become a leader in the
adoption of mobile technology. Indonesia is already a major market for data
services such as ringtone downloads, news, music and video. This trend is
set to continue and dramatically accelerate in the coming years.
To encourage growth and maximize the industry’s potential, it is imperative
for the country to build a wireless technology ecosystem to support the
surge in demand for data services that will emerge over the next few years.
There are some areas on which the mobile industry could direct attention as
3G service roll-out continues. Certainly, the quality of these 3G networks
could be further optimized to provide both better connectivity as well as
geographical coverage; educational efforts on the benefits of 3G services
to consumers could also accelerate. It is only when these are achieved that
consumers will truly begin to utilize services such as social networking,
mobile commerce or even gaming and social networking.
For operators, growing consumer demand for online activities will lead to
an increase in 3G subscriptions and profits. However, without proper
preparation and rollout of networks that provide fast and reliable mobile
connections, the current networks will appear to be vulnerable and reduce consumers’
satisfaction toward operators.
Despite the challenges, there are several steps that stakeholders in
Indonesia can take to strengthen the wireless technology ecosystem. The
Indonesian government has been successful with policy development initiatives
that encourage the adoption of new technologies to support faster data
connections.
In order to optimize their investment in the building of 3G networks, local
Indonesian telecom operators should play a key role in the promotion of 3G
technology. To increase the adoption of 3G, operators need to go beyond
their existing promotional strategies, which include offering lower
Internet rates and free access to social networks to consumers. They need
to look to drive awareness of the kind of functions that 3G smartphones can
offer, which go far beyond checking Facebook and posting on Twitter.
By way of example, 3G smartphones open up a world of opportunity to
consumers; mobile banking, mobile healthcare and mobile education
applications. In order to increase 3G subscriptions and accelerate 3G
migration, it is important to educate consumers about the benefits and
possibilities of using smartphones and other mobile broadband devices.
TIME Magazine’s Mobility Poll has highlighted the benefit of mobile and the
resulting need for greater collaboration between key stakeholders in
Indonesia’s telecom industry in order to build a stronger mobile ecosystem.
By working together, the government, telecom operators and other industry
stakeholders can raise awareness of the importance of reliable mobile
broadband infrastructure to meet the projected demand for data and
applications from Indonesian consumers.
Combined with the country’s enthusiasm for digital technology, Indonesia
can reap the benefit of wireless technology and unleash its potential in
the areas of technology and business. ●
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