Industry insiders said the delayed adoption of robust 5G infrastructure could see South-East Asia’s biggest economy fall behind regional peers in emerging technologies. — The Jakarta Post
JAKARTA: Communication service providers are pushing for progress in the rollout of 5G networks across the country, warning that without the next-generation wireless technology, Indonesia could miss out on opportunities in industries like manufacturing, healthcare and smart cities.
“The availability of ultra-low latency services is crucial for new industries like telemedicine and autonomous vehicles,” Raditio Ghifiardi, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison’s vice-president of security strategy and architecture, said on the sidelines of the Gitex Global conference in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, on Oct 16.
Noting that Indonesia is in competition with other countries, industry insiders said the delayed adoption of robust 5G infrastructure could see South-East Asia’s biggest economy fall behind regional peers in emerging technologies.
With higher speed, reduced latency and greater capacity than older data connections, 5G enables seamless connectivity and new forms of interaction, he explained, paving the way to improve industries, enable smart cities and accelerate the development of artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous vehicles, augmented reality (AR) and the Internet of Things (IoT).
“But without proper support, including making available digital talent and secure infrastructure, it will be a challenge to roll out 5G smoothly,” he continued.
Raditio said the adoption of 5G connectivity would require time for industry players to adjust and make substantial investment in cloud-based, virtualised infrastructure, “especially since it requires more sophisticated infrastructure”.
While 5G services remain unavailable in much of Indonesia, Chinese telco ZTE has played a major role in the development of so-called 5G-Advanced (5G-A), a technology that exceeds the performance of 5G but is not yet considered 6G.
The company said 5G-A is critical for building advanced applications, handling big, unified data, as well as deploying AI and cloud computing services.
“The difference in China is that industries and businesses are already integrating 5G into their operations. Whether it’s manufacturing, healthcare or smart cities, the demand for reliable, high-speed, low-latency connectivity is already there,” Jie Li, ZTE’s wireless solutions manager, told The Jakarta Post on Oct 15. “5G is not just about faster speeds,” Li emphasised.
“In China, 5G deployment has been rapid, with a focus on building comprehensive infrastructure. We’ve seen the network quickly scale in major cities, and now it’s moving to smaller regions to expand the coverage.”
He observed that 5G was already integrated into various sectors in China, including smart manufacturing, smart cities and healthcare, which was driving demand and thereby ensuring more widespread adoption.
“In China, we already see 5G fully integrated into industries that need high-speed, low-latency connectivity. This is creating higher demand and faster adoption compared with countries like Indonesia,” Li said.
In Indonesia, the adoption of 5G has been slower than anticipated some years ago. Only about 15% of the country has 5G access to date, with services concentrated in major urban areas. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
