VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The government is committed to accelerating a “national digital transformation” through five priority programs, including establishing and extending the geographic coverage of 4G services nationwide within the next two years, Communication and Information Minister Johnny G. Plate said on Saturday.

“By the end of 2022 at the latest, 4G services will be available across the country which will enable all citizens to migrate and shift into a digital society era,” Johnny said during a public discussion in Jakarta on Saturday.

Some 12,500 villages and subdistricts across the country currently do not have reliable access to the internet, he said.

“We will increase the ratio of internet access nationwide, decrease disparity of internet access between regions and [establish] a fast internet connection.”

Johnny also vowed to develop the public’s digital literacy, especially for micro, small and medium enterprises, as well as farmers and fishermen.

Previously, the ministry collaborated with more than 100 communities in the country to carry out digital literacy programs nationwide to educate the public on staying safe while navigating the digital world and understanding the signs of online fraud. According to the Global World Digital Competitiveness Index, which uses digital literacy as one of its indicators, Indonesia ranks 56th out of 63 countries in 2019, despite having 175.4 million internet users. (Jakarta Post)