He stated this in an interview with CNN Indonesia last Friday (28/5/2021). However, he said that more preparation is needed in terms of infrastructure, especially in remote areas. "5G really needs fiberization, namely connecting fiber from BTS to the core network and of course at this time only urban areas are ready for that. It is hoped that remote areas can also get it, starting from tourism areas, tourism potential areas, and candidates for the state capital," he said.

In the provision of infrastructure, Ridwan explained that it is necessary to increase the provision of frequencies. That's because the provision of Telkomsel 5G frequencies is only a tiny part of the 5G frequency allocation. Ideally, for 5G, each operator provides a frequency of 100 MHz, and unfortunately, at this time, it is still at 30 MHz. However, the government plans to issue core frequencies this year, so hopefully, from an infrastructure perspective, Indonesia is ready.

Not All Regions Need 5G

Ridwan said that not all regions need 5G. Some areas are sufficient with 4G networks. However, many areas in Indonesia require 5G, primarily industrial and residential areas. "If a stable 4G network is sufficient, therefore 5G needs to be provided in areas that are quite dense, which cannot be handled by BPS. So, for these areas, the technology needs to be upgraded to a more efficient one, namely 5G because it can increase the speed for the same bandwidth," he said.

Meanwhile, in terms of devices, technology for 5G is still quite expensive, most of which cost 5 million and above. However, in urban areas, such prices are quite affordable, so that the device is not a problem for urban people. For some regions, 4G mobile phones are still enough because 5G is intended for people who need fast speeds such as extensive broadband.

"As we know that the data is a very expensive access. With such a fast internet access speed, this will cause a vulnerability and this is a concern. It should be emphasized that the internet is indeed allowed to be fast, but network security needs to be maintained. So that our data is not easy to tap and it is not easy to produce in other places," said M. Ridwan.

Operators in Indonesia need to be committed to setting definite safety standards. The 4G and 5G are safe because this technology is based on IP that provides safety encryption.

"Each additional 1 million subscribers, economically it will add 1.38 percent of GDP," said Ridwan. With 5G, whose speed is much greater than the existing one, it will significantly affect the economy. It is hoped that the Indonesian economy will grow.

Reporter: Dheamyra Aysha Ihsanti (Region and City Planning, 2019)
Translator: Billy Akbar Prabowo (Metallurgical Engineering 2020)