Indonesia pushes operators to begin shutting down 3G services

The Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information, known as KemKominfo, has requested that the country’s operators begin winding down their 3G offerings in order to focus on 4G and 5G coverage.

Minister of Communication and Information Johnny G Plate described 4G as “the backbone of our national communication”, adding that he had requested that operators phase out 3G instead of 2G since the technology is used for different purposes, with 2G primarily used for voice communication while 3G’s focus on data is being superseded by more effective 4G and 5G offerings.

However, CommsUpdate notes that roughly 83,218 villages in Indonesia currently receive no 4G coverage, meaning that unless the government is able to address how these areas can be connected, its request may go unheeded. This is a particular challenge given that many of these locations are in the so-called ‘3T’ (Frontier, Remotest and Disadvantaged) regions. DevelopingTelecoms