Mobile network operator (MNO) Indosat Ooredoo is looking to have deployed 4G LTE in all operational areas of Indonesia by the end this year.
The cellco’s head of regional marketing, Gede Krishna Jaya, was quoted by local press as saying that by that date, ‘one hundred percent of sites will be 4G,’ noting that it still had some 3,000 sites that need upgrading to the fourth-generation technology. The MNO recently completed a major upgrade in Lampung and South Kalimantan, and now plans to begin works in North Sumatra. As a result of the 4G expansion programme, Indosat Ooredoo’s LTE network now covers 60% of the population, with a focus in Java. However, Gede admitted that Indosat has been slower than some to deploy 4G infrastructure outside Java due to ‘backbone infrastructure problems,’ and says it is reliant on third-party systems built by the government (especially Palapa Ring) to reach areas outside of Java to connect to its 4G network. Finally, the operator has confirmed that despite the 4G upgrade, it will not be switching off its 2G (GSM) and 3G (W-CDMA) networks where works have already been carried out as both are still needed.