Indonesia currently has a 5G penetration of 2.5% according to XL Axiata
BANGKOK, THAILAND- Indonesian telco XL Axiata expects a big boost in 5G adoption in Indonesia from 2025, once the government starts to allocate key spectrum bands for 5G services, XL Axiata Director and Chief Technology Officer, I Gede Darmayusa, said.
During a keynote session at the Huawei’s 13th Global Mobile Broadband Forum (MBBF) being held this week in Bangkok, Thailand, the executive noted that the penetration of 5G services in Indonesia currently reaches 2.5%, which is low compared to other markets in the APAC region.
“The key bands for the launch of 5G services were not yet released by the government and these bands are still being used for the provision of other type of services,” the executive said.
Darmayusa noted that the Indonesian government could probably release spectrum in the 700 MHz band in the first months of next year while spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band could be released by the end of 2023.
“Frequencies in the 2.6GHz band, which are currently being used by broadcasters and satellite services operators, could be potentially awarded for 5G services in 2025,” the executive added.
“We believe that 5G is still incubating in Indonesia but we expect to see a rapid adoption from 2025 once the frequencies are awarded,” he continued.
He added that the carrier has been focusing on preparing its RAN, transmission and core capabilities to be ready for the future launch of 5G technology in the country.
In Indonesia, local carriers have already launched very limited 5G services using existing spectrum holdings. Since 2017, 5G trials have been ongoing in Indonesia with XL Axiata, Telkomsel, Smartfren and Indosat Ooredoo conducting indoor and outdoor trials.
According to the GSMA Mobile Economy Asia Pacific 2022 report, 5G connections in Indonesia will account for 13% of the country’s overall mobile connections by 2025, compared to less than 1% in 2021.
4G technology will still represent the bulk of mobile connections in the Asian nation by 2025, at 83%, up from a penetration rate of 77% at the end of 2021, according to the GSMA report.
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