Expanding equal development through digital space

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's SATRIA-1 satellite is bringing internet access to tens of thousands of schools, health centers, village offices, and other public facilities, making digital connectivity an increasingly important tool for expanding equal development across the archipelago.

For decades, Indonesia sought to narrow geographical disparities through roads, ports, airports, and electricity networks.

Today, equal access to education, healthcare, business opportunities, and public services increasingly depends on digital infrastructure that can bridge distances across one of the world's largest island nations.

The shift is already evident. As of early June 2026, SATRIA-1 was providing internet services to 31,803 public service locations nationwide.

Data from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs' Telecommunications and Information Accessibility Agency (BAKTI) show that about 68 percent of those locations, or 21,718 sites, are schools, primarily in Indonesia's frontier, outermost, and underdeveloped (3T) regions.

The remaining connected facilities include 6,353 government offices, 1,880 healthcare centers, 528 defense and security facilities, 488 community centers, 437 places of worship, and hundreds of other public service sites.

The figures illustrate how digital connectivity has evolved beyond internet access to become part of the country's essential public infrastructure, supporting education, healthcare, public administration, and community services in areas where conventional telecommunications networks remain limited.

SATRIA-1 supports that effort with a capacity of 150 gigabits per second (Gbps), making it one of Asia's largest high-capacity internet satellites when it entered service.

The satellite complements Indonesia's nationwide fiber-optic backbone and the continued rollout of Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) in underserved areas. Together, these investments are extending digital services beyond major cities while improving connectivity in remote communities.

The government is also expanding the satellite's role to support priority national programs, including People's Schools and the Red-and-White Village Cooperatives, enabling schools, village institutions, and local communities in underserved regions to access reliable internet services.

The country's digital economy has expanded alongside the infrastructure rollout. Google's e-Conomy SEA report, produced with Temasek and Bain & Company, estimated Indonesia's digital economy at nearly US$100 billion in 2025, the largest in Southeast Asia.

Yet the size of the digital economy is not the ultimate objective. Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said digital transformation should be measured by the benefits it delivers to society rather than by market size or the pace of technology adoption.

That perspective gives digital development a broader purpose. Success depends not only on infrastructure or transaction volumes but also on wider access to education, healthcare, public services, and economic opportunities regardless of geography.

Digital economy

Viewed through that lens, Indonesia's position as Southeast Asia's largest digital economy represents more than a statistical milestone.

The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises says digitalization creates opportunities for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to expand through wider adoption of technology.

Digital platforms allow businesses to reach broader markets, improve efficiency, and strengthen competitiveness without relying solely on physical expansion. Digital payment services and online financing are also helping expand financial inclusion for communities that previously had limited access to formal banking services.

The digital economy delivers its greatest value when more people and businesses are able to participate and benefit from those opportunities rather than when growth is measured solely by transaction volumes.

The impact is becoming increasingly visible across sectors. MSMEs are reaching customers nationwide through online marketplaces, schools are gaining broader access to educational resources, healthcare providers are improving access to telemedicine and digital health services, and more government services are becoming available online.

As digital infrastructure expands, the challenge is shifting from connectivity to utilization. Reliable internet access alone does not automatically create equal opportunities if communities lack the skills to use technology effectively.

Some regions still require stronger network quality, while many communities need greater digital literacy and technical skills to use digital services productively, safely, and responsibly.

Infrastructure provides access, but human capital ultimately determines how much value people derive from it.

For that reason, Indonesia's digital strategy extends beyond expanding internet infrastructure. The government is strengthening digital literacy, developing digital talent, enhancing personal data protection, improving cybersecurity, and increasing the digital capacity of public institutions.

Those initiatives recognize that successful digital transformation depends not only on connecting people to the internet but also on enabling them to use digital technology to improve education, healthcare, public services, and economic productivity.

The approach reflects the view that the most important investment in digital transformation lies not only in technology but also in people.

That direction is reflected in the national development plan. The National Development Planning Ministry (Bappenas) aims for the digital economy to contribute 12-13 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2029, underscoring digitalization's growing role as a pillar of Indonesia's long-term economic strategy.

The target also signals that digital transformation is no longer confined to the technology sector. It is increasingly integrated into national efforts to improve education, healthcare, agriculture, trade, manufacturing, financial services, and public administration.

Equal development, therefore, is no longer defined solely by new roads, bridges, or public buildings.

It is also reflected when MSMEs gain customers beyond their local markets without opening new branches, when schools gain access to educational resources previously beyond reach, when patients in remote communities can consult healthcare providers online, and when citizens obtain public services without traveling long distances.

Digital technology cannot eliminate Indonesia's geographical challenges as an archipelagic nation. Seas still separate islands, mountains continue to divide communities, and long distances remain.

Technology can, however, reduce barriers that have long limited access to education, healthcare, information, government services, and markets.

The biggest change lies in how development measures equality. Progress is increasingly defined by expanding access rather than by the number of physical projects completed.

When technology enables children to learn regardless of location, businesses to compete in wider markets, and citizens to access public services more easily, equal development becomes more than a policy objective. It becomes part of everyday life.

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