Internet Indonesia Among the Slowest in Southeast Asia

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According to a report by Ookla in February 2023, Indonesia’s internet was reported to be the slowest in Southeast Asia, with a speed of 26.38 Mbps, ranking 120th globally.

Indonesia’s fixed broadband is only faster than Cambodia (ranked 127) and Myanmar (ranked 133). The speed of Indonesia’s internet is also far below Singapore, which tops the list at a speed of 237.15 Mbps.

The Secretary-General of the Association of Indonesian Internet Service Providers (APJII), Zulfadly Syam, clarified that comparisons should not be based on countries, but rather cities, as Indonesia has different infrastructure compared to other countries. One of the reasons for this difference is the high cost of submarine cables in Indonesia.

“If, for example, I were to compare, it should not be between countries but between cities. If we compare our infrastructure with Singapore, for example, we have submarine cables from Sumatra to Java, Sumatra to Bali, Bali to Kalimantan, but Singapore can build Depok,” Zulfadly said during an interview in Jakarta on Thursday (30/3/2023).

Furthermore, the same report states that Indonesia has the slowest mobile internet speed in Southeast Asia, ranking 103rd with a speed of 20.17 Mbps.

Brunei and Singapore are the fastest countries in terms of mobile internet speed in Southeast Asia, with speeds of 85.13 Mbps and 75.71 Mbps, respectively.

In addition, the APJII highlighted the issue of price wars in the fixed broadband business ecosystem, similar to what has long been happening in the mobile service sector.

In order to attract customers, internet service providers (ISPs) are forced to offer the cheapest service if they want to remain competitive.

The Secretary-General of APJII, Zulfadly Syam, stated that a fair price for consumers and ISPs should be formulated together. However, he believes that a monthly internet price of 2.5% of income is still considered fair.

“Based on our profile, 2.5% of income or the minimum wage in a district per month is still reasonable. Whether it is too low or not, that needs to be evaluated.

We shouldn’t assume that internet prices should be 2.5% of income. That’s why we need to formulate it properly,” Zulfadly Syam said during the National Bukber event 2023 held by APJII in Jakarta on Thursday (30/3/2023).