By Early 2009 All Regions Connected to Internet

Thursday, 15 November, 2007 | 17:25 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Kuta: Information and Communication Minister M. Nuh has promised that Internet access will be ready to be enjoyed by all the general public by the first quarter of 2009 at the latest so that education can be accessed regardless of limitations.

“In Indonesia, education is hampered by distance differences, both social or demographic, despite the fact that education should be accessible by anyone anywhere,” he told the press after delivering a welcoming speech during the Distant-Learning International Symposium, in Kuta, Bali, Thursday (15/11).

The plan of building the network, he said, already exists and is ready to be carried out.

The Indonesian Higher Education Research and Network (INHERENT) system, which so far has been adopted by universities and the National Education Network (Jardiknas), will be joined together in order to expand the current network.

The aim is so that remote and underdeveloped areas can access information faster through the Internet.

To make it accessible, said Nuh, the government is analyzing the policy of interconnection price that are not fully linked to the market mechanism, but companies are not allowed to suffer losses.

“We'll determine together the amount of the companies’ profits. From these profits, we'll decide the policy to lower or raise interconnection prices,” he said.

Reh Atemalem Susanti