Telkomsel and Indosat Ooredoo launched 5G services in June
Early June 2021, Telkomsel became the first Indonesian operator to launch commercial 5G services, covering the cities of Balikpapan, Medan and Surakarta. In June, Telkomsel expanded coverage to include another five cities in Java and islands, namely Surabaya (Java), Makassar (South Sulawesi), Bandung (Java), Batam (Riau Islands) and Denpasar (Bali) and plans to expand to a total of ten cities by the end of 2021. The 5G network is also expected to cover Telkomsel Smart Office in Jakarta, the Bandung Institute of Technology, Telkom University in West Java and Telkomsel branch offices in nine cities. The operator’s 5G launch is supported by several devices compatible with 5G non-standalone technology operating in the 2300 MHz band, including Oppo Reno5 5G, Huawei Mate 40, Vivo X60 and Vivo X60 Pro.
In late June, rival operator, Indosat Ooredoo, announced the launch of its 5G services in the city of Surakarta. The NSA network, supplied by Huawei, is using the 1800 MHz spectrum band and is available to both the business and consumer market segments. The operator is planning to extend its 5G footprint in other cities, including Jakarta, Surabaya and Makassar. The 5G commercial launch is part of a partnership between Surakarta Municipality to support economic recovery, including collaboration with small-medium size enterprise empowerment, digital talent education, and smart city development.
Indonesian operators XL Axiata and Smartfren must conduct operational tests before launching their 5G services.
