Bringing the Internet within reach of 100 million Indonesians from 20 kms above Earth

Google Blog, Thursday, October 29, 2015  

In Indonesia today, only about 1 out of every 3 people are connected to the Internet. And even though most of their connections are painfully slow, they’re doing some pretty incredible things. Startups like motorcycle delivery service Go-Jek are building impressive adaptations to Indonesia’s unique challenges, while small businesses like fashionable hijab shop HiJup are using the web to redefine marketplaces.

Still, a majority of Indonesians don’t have access to the educational, cultural, and economic opportunities of the Internet. That’s why we’re pleased to announce that Indonesia’s top three mobile network operators—Indosat, Telkomsel, and XL Axiata—have agreed to begin testing Project Loon balloon-powered Internet over Indonesia in 2016. These tests represent an important step toward bringing all of Indonesia online.

From left to right: Ririek Adriansyah, CEO of Telkomsel; Dian Siswarini, CEO of
XL Axiata; Alexander Rusli, CEO of Indosat; Mike Cassidy, VP of Project Loon;
Sergey Brin, President, Alphabet Inc

Loon balloons act like floating mobile phone towers; flying on the stratospheric winds at altitudes twice as high as commercial planes, each balloon beams an Internet connection down to the ground, and as one drifts out of range, another moves in to take its place. Loon can help telecommunications companies extend their networks; high in the sky, we can help overcome the difficulties of spreading equipment across an archipelago of 17,000 islands of jungles and mountains, providing connectivity to even the most remote islands.

Project Loon balloons travel approximately 20 km above the Earth’s surface in

 the stratosphere. Winds in the stratosphere are stratified, and each layer of wind 

varies in speed and direction. By moving with the wind, the balloons can be 

arranged to form one large communications network

  

Over the next few years, we’re hoping Loon can partner with local providers to put high-speed LTE Internet connections within reach of more than 100 million currently unconnected people—that’s enough speed to read websites, watch videos, or make purchases. From Sabang all the way to Merauke, many of these people live in areas without any existing Internet infrastructure, so we hope balloon-powered Internet could someday help give them access to the information and opportunity of the web.

But it’s not the only step Google is taking toward making the Internet both accessible and useful for people in Indonesia. Android One phones are helping to make high-quality smartphones more accessible in a country where most people first access the Internet on a mobile device. And along with that, we’re working to ease the use of data with features sure as Search Lite, which streamlines search so pages load more quickly, or by optimizing web pages so that they require less data to load. Indonesia is also one of the first countries where YouTube users can take videos offline to watch later during periods of low or no Internet connectivity.

We’re also doing what we can to ensure that language isn’t a barrier to the opportunities of the web. Google Translate was introduced for Bahasa in 2008, and more recently we’ve expanded it to Sundanese, a language that’s spoken by nearly 40 million people living on the island of Java.

Soon we hope many more millions of people in Indonesia will be able to use the full Internet to bring their culture and businesses online and explore the world even without leaving home. And for those of you who’ve never been to this country of rich culture and natural beauty, we invite you to head over to Google Street View to explore the famous temples at Borobudur and Prambanan.

Posted by Mike Cassidy, Vice President, Project Loon

Govt targets Internet coverage on all islands by 2012

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 11/11/2011

The Communications and Information Technology Ministry is targeting to connect all islands in Indonesia to the Internet by 2012, according to an official.

A ministry’s expert staffer, Suprawoto, said on Friday that the ministry also planned that all islands would have broadband networks by 2016.

He said that the plans were a “follow up” to the Indonesia Informatif (Informative Indonesia) program, which has been a vision of the ministry.

“Indonesia Informatif is our effort to bring Indonesian people closer to information,” he said in a forum in Gorontalo, North Sulawesi, Antara news agency reported.

He added that the ministry hoped Indonesians would use the Internet for education and community empowerment purposes.

“People are uneducated or poor not because of their financial situation but because of a lack of information,” he said.

Suprawoto said the ministry had developed the Desa Berdering (Villages Rings) program this year, building infrastructure in 5,874 districts that gave villages access to telephones, the radio and the Internet.

“We are building the optical fiber networks on the remaining islands. It has now reached Papua,” he added.

Indonesia is Google’s ‘Regional Focus’

Jakarta Globe, Shirley Christie, July 26, 2011

Related articles

• Google to Open Indonesia Office By End of the Year

Google, the world’s largest Internet-search provider, may make a “huge investment” in Indonesia to take advantage of the country’s enormous market potential, a government official said.

The Internet giant would focus its Southeast Asian investment on Indonesia, Gita Wirjawan, chairman of Indonesia’s Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), said on Monday.

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt said “Google wants to invest, and based on their calculation it would be bigger than its previous offices in Southeast Asia,” Gita told a press conference in Jakarta.

“I do not know yet whether it is going to be $100 million or more, but the investment would definitely be bigger than [the amount spent] in Singapore and Malaysia,” he said

Google could set up operations in Indonesia, Gita said, but the company needed to study the potential for revenue from advertising in the country and the establishment of a data center.

Those matters are being discussed with the Communications Ministry, he said.

Google’s global brand and innovative reputation means the company’s presence would encourage other investors to do business in Indonesia, Gita said.

BKPM forecasts total foreign and domestic investment hitting Rp 240 trillion ($28 billion) this year, up 15 percent from 2010.

Gatot Dewa Broto, a spokesman for the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, told the Jakarta Globe the ministry welcomed Google’s plan and has not imposed any requirement for the company to establish a data center locally.

Schmidt met Indonesian Vice President Boediono last Friday to inform him of the company’s plan to open a representative office in Indonesia by next year.

At an entrepreneurial summit in Bali, Schmidt said Indonesia would have an “Internet explosion” that would change the country for the better.

“There are 50 million small businesses in Indonesia. Just numerically those will be the engine of growth for the future economy,” he said.

Other foreign companies have already established local businesses to appeal to Indonesia’s Internet users. Yahoo has been operating in Indonesia since early last year.

Indonesia has about 40 million Internet users and is home to Facebook’s second-highest number of subscribers.

Global research firm Frost & Sullivan found Indonesia had 194 million wireless subscribers at the end of last year, representing a penetration rate of about 81 percent. About 80 percent of mobile users are using Internet-enabled hand-held devices.

Indonesian advertisers spend less than 2 percent of their budgets on online promotions, meaning the online advertising industry here has significant space for expansion.

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Google to open representative office in Indonesia

Google to open representative office in Indonesia

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Fri, 07/22/2011

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt said that the company intends to open a representative office to expand its internet business in Indonesia.

The statement was made during a meeting with Vice President Boediono on Friday.

According to vice president spokesman Yopie Hidayat, as quoted by kompas.com, in the one-hour meeting Schmidt stated that the representative office in Indonesia would be ready before 2012.

Yopie said that the multinational corporation investing in internet search, cloud computing and advertising technologies wanted to develop programs to connect Indonesian small and medium sized enterprises with foreign buyers.

He added that Google had been involved in serious talks with the Communications and Information Technology Ministry regarding its business plan and would soon prepare a memorandum of understanding with the government.

AT&T Wins Indonesian License to Expand Multimedia Services

Jakarta Globe, June 08, 2011

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• Axis Set to Broaden Its Network For $800m 

AT&T Inc., the second-largest US wireless provider, said it won a license to provide multimedia services in Indonesia, allowing it to expand into services including teleconferencing and managing computer networks.

PT AT&T Global Network Services Indonesia, the local venture 95 percent owned by ATandT, is the first foreign operator granted the permit in Indonesia, Roman Pacewicz, AT&T senior vice president of marketing and global strategy for business solutions, said in a telephone interview from Dallas On wednesday.

AT&T will invest about $1 billion this year to enhance services on its global network offering cloud computing and mobile applications to help businesses increase productivity and cut costs, the Dallas-based company said in May.

Indonesia’s economy, Southeast Asia’s biggest, will probably expand 7 percent annually on average in the next five years, Nomura Holdings Inc. said in a report on Tuesday.

“This operating license will allow us to deliver services more seamlessly and effectively as the Indonesia market grows,” Pacewicz said.

Previously, AT&T relied on local partners to help set up virtual private networks for customers, Pacewicz said. The company’s local venture will now expand to provide services including video conferencing directly to customers, he said.

The wireless service provider’s worldwide sales from business solutions including Ethernet, virtual private networks and hosting gained 19 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier.

AT&T will also look for opportunities in Vietnam, where government is easing controls, he said.

Bloomberg

Ministry launches REDD website

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 04/18/2011

Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan launched on Monday Indonesia's official Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) program website, www.redd-indonesia.org.

Published in Indonesian, the website contains information regarding REDD implementation in the country, pilot projects, REDD-related regulations and other environmental information.

The website acts as a reference regarding REDD such as what REDD is and how it works.

It is also linked to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, among other social network sites.

Zulkifli launched the website at the 3rd IndoGreen Forestry Expo opening at the Jakarta Convention Center, Antara reported.

Japan provides Rp319 billion for e-education program in Yogya

Antara News, Sat, March 26 2011

Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - The Japanese government, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has provided funds amounting to Rp319 billion for the implementation of an e-education program at 500 schools in the Yogyakarta Special Region.

"We provide financial support for the project implementation program on utilization of information and communication technology to improve education quality and equity in the Yogyakarta Special Region," a JICA representative, Ohara. said here, Saturday.

According to Ohara, with the information and communication technology facility in schools, the teachers and the students can use it maximum in order to improve the quality of education.

"The teachers can also use those tools to develop teaching materials so that the process of teaching and learning in schools can take place more attractively," Ohara noted.

Meanwhile, the Governor of Yogyakarta, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X said, to realize the success of the program it needs a play role of government, people and the world of education to jointly work together in building an information and communication technology-based education.

According to the governor, with that synergy, in 2020 Yogyakrata is expected to become a leading education region in Indonesia and even in the world.

"The success of the program can be implemented in other provinces so the goal in forming the intelligent and responsive future generation to information and communication technology can be achieved," he said.

Meanwhile, according to the director general of information application, the ministry of communication and information, Aswin Sasongko, the launching of the program with theme "Learning Without Limits" is to create learning opportunities for elementary and junior high school students without being tied to space and time.

"The program is funded by the Japanese government through JICA and it is a cooperation between the ministry of communication and information with Yogyakarta provincial administration through education, youth and sports office and it will be implemented in 500 schools in Yogyakarta," Aswin noted.

According to him, the program includes information and communication technology tools, learning content and training.

The implementation of the program was started in 2010 by building internet data center (IDC), network communications, procurement of the device in 110 schools, teaching materials, content development, teacher training and disbursement of block grant funds.

"The next step will be implementation in 2011 for 240 schools and 150 schools in 2012. Starting in 2012, the learning system will be implemented in other provinces," Aswin explained.

Editor: Ruslan Burhani

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Saudi's STC to increase stake in Indonesia's NTS

Reuters, Sat Mar 12, 2011

• Saudi Telecom to raise stake in Indonesia's NTS
• To provide loans of $81 mln, followed by $290 mln

(Reuters) - Saudi Telecom Co (STC) said on Saturday it planned to rase its share in its affiliate NTS in Indonesia to 80 percent, and lend it more than $370 million, as it readies to expand in the Indonesian market.

Natrindo Telepon Selular (NTS Indonesia), now 51 percent owned by STC and 44 percent owned by Malaysia's Maxis Communications Bhd (MCB) , has set up a five-year plan to expand in Indonesia's telecom market, STC said in a bourse statement.

"Saudi Telecom has shown interest in taking this opportunity to increase its shares in (NTS) due to the growth prospects in the Indonesian economy," STC said.

"It agreed on Wednesday to give an initial loan of $81 million, followed by another loan of $290 million to be paid according to the firm's operational needs," the firm said.

The deal will cancel all the loans made to NTS by Maxis Communications, amounting to almost $412 million, and increase STC's stake to 80.1 percent from 51 percent.

Maxis Communications' share will fall to 14.9 percent from 44 percent, while the local partner will maintain a 5 percent stake.

The deal has yet to be approved by the Indonesian regulators.

NTS began its mobile phone services in 2008 and has more than 10 million customers, covering 400 cities in Indonesia, the statement added.

(Reporting by Asma Alsharif; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

@america: Cultural outreach to young foreigners

San Francisco Chronicle, Norimitsu Onishi, New York Times, Sunday, March 6, 2011

Go US: A visitor registers at @america , a hi-tech cultural center|
intended to enable Indonesians to interact with that country on their
own terms. JP/Ricky Yudhistira

PST Jakarta, Indonesia -- On the third floor of a shopping mall, around the corner from a Gap Kids and a Wedgwood china outlet, a new tenant is busily promoting what is perhaps the world's biggest brand: America.

The tenant, called @america, represents the U.S. government's first attempt at creating a full-fledged cultural center since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. A high-tech, interactive operation heralded as the digital-age successor to the venerable American Cultural Center, it is also U.S. public diplomacy's latest effort to win over young foreigners, especially in Muslim countries.

Thousands of high school and college students have been bused in from schools in Jakarta, the capital, and its outskirts since @america's opening in December. The technology on display - a giant, supercharged version of Google Earth called Liquid Galaxy, scores of iPads that are available to test, interactive monitors explaining Black History Month - thrilled the teenagers.

It was unclear whether the center had changed their perceptions of the United States, though.

Tech savvy: Young visitors browse
through their e-guides at the @america
center. JP/Ricky Yudhistira

"It doesn't matter what they think of the United States - 'Do you hate us? Do you love us? Are you somewhere in between?' " said Matt McGowan, 36, an American whose company, PT Ganesha Aggies Jaya, has been contracted to run the center.

The State Department's undersecretary for public diplomacy, Judith McHale, described @america as the "first of a new generation of American cultural centers."

Eva Zahrowati, 34, an English teacher at Islamic Senior High School No. 4, said her students had picked up bits of U.S. history during their visit.

She added, however, that the center's location - in one of Jakarta's most tightly guarded malls - created "obstacles" for Indonesians like her students. Visitors must undergo body scans and deposit their bags between two doors to enter @america, and the heavy security had left a bad taste.

"Is America afraid of us?" Zahrowati said.

The technology used by @america impressed Annisa Mutiara, 16, who said her dream was to go to a U.S. university. But Annisa was not swayed by what she assumed was the motivation behind the invitation to her school.

"I believe that America hates Muslims, and I'm a Muslim," she said. "I still believe that after coming here."

@america

Pacific Place Mall 3rd floor #325

Jl. Jendral Sudirman Kav.52-53

Kebayoran Baru, Central Jakarta, 12190

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Epson opens new factory in Cikarang

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 02/25/2011

PT Indonesia Epson Industry, a subsidiary of Japan-based Seiko Epson Group (SEG), launched its new plant at EJIP industrial estate in Cikarang, Bekasi, West Java, on Friday.

SEG director Hagata Tadoaki said that the company wanted to boost its production capacity to more than double by 2012 by opening the new facility.

“Currently, our Indonesian plant produces 6 million printers per year. With the new plant, we expect to start producing 13 million units annually by 2012,” he said during the opening ceremony of the new plant in Cikarang.

He said that in line with the expanding production capacity, Indonesian plants would contribute more than 50 percent to Epson’s total sales.

Currently, Epson’s only Indonesian plant makes up 40 percent of Epson's global sales, which reaches 15 million units.

Hagata said the new plant would absorb 5,000 new workers, adding to around the 10,000 people already employed. (lnd)

US universities hold US education fair in Jakarta, Medan, Semarang, Surabaya

Antara News, Tue, February 22 2011

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - U.S. Ambassador Scot Marciel, here, Sunday (Feb. 20) spoke at the Spring 2011 EducationUSA Fair, held in partnership with 38 prominent U.S. educational institutions.

U.S. Ambassador Scot Marciel (Antara)

The EducationUSA Fair, which was open to the public, included university representatives and presentations on "Study in the USA" and the student visa application process, a press statement of the US Embassy in Jakarta, said here, Tuesday.

The EducationUSA Fair started on Sunday, February 20 in Jakarta, followed by events in Medan on February 22, Semarang on February 24, and Surabaya on February 26 before concluding in Denpasar on February 28.

Attendees will be able to meet university representatives and follow activities through EducationUSA`s website and social media channels, including Facebook, Skype, and Twitter.

The EducationUSA Fair is an annual advising activity coordinated by AMINEF/EducationUSA that provides accurate and impartial information on studying in the United States by facilitating direct interaction between students and university representatives.

This Fair also enhanced students` exposure to the thousands of possibilities of majors, programs, scholarships and assistantship opportunities available at U.S. academic institutions.

The Fair is part of AMINEF`s EducationUSA initiative to contribute to the goals set forth in the Comprehensive Partnership agreement between the governments of the Republic of Indonesia and the United States of America to double the number of Indonesians studying in the U.S. in the next five years.

During the Fair, representatives of the U.S. Embassy Consular Office provided information on the visa application process.

The Consular section welcomes student visa applications and has made the application process as easy as possible. Student visa applicants are guaranteed an appointment on any Monday the Embassy is open.

The Education USA website at www.educationusa.or.id provides more details of the visit agenda along with additional information on universities, courses, and studying in the United States.

Editor: Priyambodo

Bank Mandiri allocates $12 million for IT development

The Jakarta Post, Sat, 02/19/2011

The country’s biggest lender in term of assets, state-owned Bank Mandiri, has earmarked US$12 million for IT system development.

“In 2011 we allocate US$12 million, or about Rp 1 trillion, for our IT system development, with which we hope to be able to expand our services,” Bank Mandiri corporate banking director Fransiska Nelwan Mok said Saturday while addressing a workshop on transactional banking in Kuningan, West Java.

“Indonesia, as a country with large population and income per capita of US$2,500, will demand wider financial transaction services,” she said, as quoted by Antara.

FREN invests Rp 1t to build more towers

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 02/09/2011

Telecommunications firm PT Mobile-8 Telecom (FREN) is allocating Rp 1 trillion (US$110 million) to build 2,000 more towers as part of its expansion program.

“We want to double our base transceiver stations [BTS],” FREN president director Merza Fachys said Wednesday, as quoted by kontan.co.id.

FREN was recently able to raise Rp 3.7 trillion from a rights issue.

Currently, FREN has between 1,500 and 2,000 BTS.

Microsoft Reaches for Clouds With Indonesia Ambitions

Jakarta Globe, Shirley Christie | January 21, 2011

Software giant Microsoft is looking to invest around $2.5 billion in Indonesia to develop cloud-computing systems, an official said on Thursday.

Software giant Microsoft is looking to invest around $2.5 billion
in  Indonesia to develop cloud-computing systems, an official
said on Thursday. (AP Photo)    

Sutanto Hartono, chief executive of Microsoft Indonesia, said it was partnering with Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom), Astra Graphia Information Technology, cloud-computing infrastructure firm Greenview and Infynis System Indonesia for the initiative.

Cloud computing, in which vast data banks and programs can be accessed remotely using a personal computer connected to the Internet, would be invaluable to the corporate market, he said.

“It’s going to be cost-saving and efficient because instead of spending on capital expenditure, a company would spend on operational expansion using cloud computing,” he said at the Microsoft Cloud Summit in Jakarta.

The best-known examples of cloud computing services are those offered by Google as well as Amazon, which launched S3, an online data storage service.

Cloud computing, essentially a network of servers, also allows users to access online applications anywhere in the world, often for a subscription fee, without having to install software on their own computers.

“Cloud computing is now the center of all the things we do,” said Chris Sharp, regional cloud strategist for Microsoft Asia Pacific and Japan.

He said among the 17 countries that he had managed so far, Indonesia posed a unique opportunity to generate about $75 million annually from cloud services within several years.

“It’s an evolution of virtualization,” said Arya Sanjaya, business developer manager for Intel Indonesia, referring to the system of separating computer functions from physical hardware.

“If a company used to have three servers to run three applications, with virtualization, it could run all three applications using one server,” Arya said.

Sutanto added that companies would no longer have to buy servers — computer systems that allow users in a network to access and store files — and hire technicians to maintain them.

“Now, all a company needs is a computer and a broadband Internet connection [to benefit from] cloud computing,” he said.

The cost of running a virtual server is small, Sutanto said. A small shop running inventory software from a public cloud can spend $300 on a computer and $15 a month for Internet and cloud service subscriptions.

Larger companies can create their own private clouds which can host all their applications.

But many local firms are reluctant to use cloud computing, still a relatively new concept in Indonesia, due to concerns about data security and effectiveness.

Still, government agencies and at least 14 big firms had expressed interest in cloud technology, according to Manish Chopra, Microsoft Indonesia’s marketing and operations director.

He cited the estimated 700 participants who flocked to the recent Cloud Summit, a roadshow for the new technology.

Chopra said he saw huge potential in this country with its more than 30 million online users, as of last year. Broadband access is also growing, with the penetration rate expected to reach more than 75 percent this year.

Brian Prentice, vice president for research at IT firm Gartner, said revenue generated from cloud services around the world were estimated to reach $68.3 billion last year, or up 16.6 percent from $58.6 billion in 2009.

“With an average growth rate of 20 percent, we estimate that by the end of 2014, this figure will increase to $148.8 billion,” he said.

Aside from Microsoft, other technology firms are linking up with Indonesian companies to set up cloud computing systems.

Last week, Telekomunikasi Selular (Telkomsel), a subsidiary of Telkom, said it was partnering with Google to launch Business Connect, a Web-based package.

It includes e-mail, instant messaging, office operation tools, a calendar and documents-sharing under Google Apps.

Doug Farber, Google Asia Pacific’s managing director for enterprise, said in a statement that the cloud-based applications would help boost business productivity in a way that standard applications could not.

Some of the advantages, he said, were larger data capacity, instant messaging enabled with voice and video chat, as well as the ability to access apps using mobile phones.

Sharp said competing firms offering cloud services would drive companies like Microsoft to develop better technology and products for customers.

Indosat, ITB join hands to develop mobile apps innovations

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 01/08/2011

Indonesia’s second largest cellular operator, PT Indosat, is teaming up with the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in mobile applications development in an attempt to encourage innovations in technology among youths and to produce new experts in the industry.

Indosat director and chief wholesale and infrastructure officer Fadzri Sentosa signed in Bandung on Saturday a memorandum of understanding on the new partnership with ITB deputy rector Hasanuddin Z. Abidin.

“This partnership will serve as a positive and effective collaboration in the development of mobile applications for the campus community and the young generation in general,” Fadzri said as quoted by Antara.

He added that the partnership was also expected to produce new experts in mobile technology.

As part of the partnership, an Indosat Innovation Lab will be built in the West Java capital.

“It will serve as a place where they (young innovators to-be) can experiment and have intensive discussions,” Fadzri said.

Hasanuddin, meanwhile, said the new partnership was ITB’s third with Indosat.

Rp 8.9t for electricity infrastructure in western Indonesia in 2011

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 01/07/2011

State electricity firm PT PLN will disburse Rp 8.9 trillion (approximately US$987.9 million) this year for the completion of electricity projects in western Indonesia.

The funds would be used to partly finance the construction of supporting infrastructure for the first phase of the government’s 10,000 megawatt fast-track program, PLN spokesman Bambang Dwiyanto said Friday.

“For the western Indonesia operation area, the amount of investment allocated for electricity projects in 2011 reaches Rp 8.9 trillion,” Bambang said in a press statement, as quoted by kontan.co.id.

He said Rp 6.25 trillion of the amount would be secured from PLN’s internal budget, while the remaining Rp 2.65 trillion would come from the 2011 state budget.

The construction of seven new power plants in western Indonesia, as part of the fast-track program, is expected to be completed this year.

“The seven power plant projects are ongoing and about to be completed, so the funds will be used to build networks to help the distribution of electricity produced by most of the power plants,” Bambang said.

Tifatul says Palapa Ring to be completed by 2012

Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 12/29/2010

Information and Communications Minister Tifatul Sembiring is aiming for the Palapa Ring fiber-optic project to be completed by 2012, saying the project has been delayed because of financing difficulties.

"The consortium that runs the project is having financing problems, but everything will be completed by 2012," Tifatul said.

According to Tifatul, the project will be financed by state revenue obtained from the information and communication technology (ICT) industry.

"We are now awaiting the order to resume the project. The Finance Ministry has approved the plan," Tifatul said Wednesday.

He said that the government aimed to raise Rp 1 trillion (US$111 million) in annual revenue from the ICT industry.

The Palapa Ring is an ambitious project that aims to link Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua and eight existing network connections or backhauls through an estimated total 35,280 kilometers of undersea and 21,870 kilometers of underground fiber-optic cables.

The government has created a consortium for the project involving PT Telkom, PT Indosat, PT Exelcomindo Pratama, PT Bakrie Telecom, PT Infokom Elektrindo and PT Powertek Utama Internusa.

TEDx Again Inspires Indonesia With Raft of Innovative Ideas

Jakarta Globe, Ulma Haryanto | December 19, 2010      

Jakarta. Participants of the sixth TEDx Jakarta conference were mesmerized on Sunday by inspiring presentations on a range of topics by a digital inventor, a designer and an educator, among others.

Anies Baswedan, rector of Paramadina University,
 gave an update of Indonesia Mengajar (Indonesia Teaches),
a program that sends young high achievers to isolated
 regions across the archipelago to teach for a year.
(Photo courtesy of DDB Indonesia)    

TEDx Jakarta is a local version of the Technology, Entertainment and Design conference based in California.

The event at Usmar Ismail Hall in Kuningan, South Jakarta, was the second such event for the year, TEDx Jakarta’s co-curator Lalitia Apsari told the Jakarta Globe.

She added that TEDx Jakarta events are held three to four times annually.

On Sunday, Chandra Tresnadi, winner of the 2010 Indonesian ICT award (Inaicta) for his interactive, multiplayer batik Internet game, showed his invention on a large touch-screen display.

“The idea was to create a game that would promote social interaction and participation as well as communication with strangers,” he said.

Chandra also said he wanted to present batik to the public in a very accessible way.

Adi Panuntun, whose video-mapping project at Fatahillah Museum in West Jakarta in March drew 50,000 visitors, was also invited to speak.

“At the time [of the Fatahillah project] I found a challenge in the quest for public space in Jakarta. And since my background is design, I saw [and presented] things differently,” he said.

Back in March, Adi made a documentary about Jakarta and projected it on the facade of the Fatahillah Museum.

“In the film, the museum was the actor. I used the building to tell a story,” he said, adding that he called the technique “video mapping.”

Rene Suhardono, career coach and author of “Your Job is Not Your Career,” urged attendants to reconsider their conceptualization of happiness and passion.

“I would like to challenge everyone here to do 21 different things every day and write or tweet about it,” he said.

Betti Alisjahbana, former chief executive of IBM, talked about ITB Untuk Semua (ITB for All), a scholarship that also offers soft skills courses.

Anies Baswedan, rector of Paramadina University gave an update of Indonesia Mengajar (Indonesia Teaches), a program that sends young high achievers to isolated regions across the archipelago to teach for a year.

“Those on the front-line of education — the teachers — are crucial. That’s why we send these young people, to lead and to inspire,” Anies said.

Also addressing the event was Irma Windi Lubis and a group of 10 children from Sanggar Roda, an organization in East Jakarta, that gives youngsters non-formal education and moral support with the help of music.

The event organizers said they had to work hard to find a diverse group of speakers on various topics, which is the prime characteristic of all TED events.

“There are a lot of inspirational speakers we would like to invite, but aside from big names we also want to introduce those who are less familiar,” Lalitia said.

Arief Aziz, Karina Sigar and Kartika Anindya were longtime fans of TED videos — available on YouTube — and after they found out that TED launched TEDx, they immediately contacted the California committee.

“The first three events [we organized] were held for 80 attendants, where we would watch TED videos together and invited several speakers. But we got requests to hold a bigger event,” Arief told the Globe. The current event is their sixth.

Anton, 27, works in advertising and Sunday marked his first visit to TEDx Jakarta.

“I’ve been subscribing to TED videos since college and was excited to know similar events are held here,” he said, adding that he hoped more speakers from other disciplines would attend.

“An astronomer for instance — topics that are outside of the mainstream,” he added.

Atten Dhaniel, 22, went to TEDx for the first time after his teacher talked about the videos. After attending the third event, he decided to offer his services as a volunteer.

Dhaniel believes TEDx events have great educational value.

“My favorite was the talk on nanotechnology,” he said.

Edison, a business analyst for an oil company in his late 20s, was upbeat about his first TEDx experience.

“The atmosphere is very energizing, young, and creative. I am excited to listen to all speakers,” he said.

Lenovo to Open Subsidiary in Indonesia

Jakarta Globe, Shirley Christie | November 30, 2010    

Jakarta. Chinese computer giant Lenovo, which purchased IBM’s personal computer division in 2005, plans to establish an Indonesian subsidiary by April, a company representative has said.

In this file photo, a Lenovo laptop computer is displayed.
 Lenovo plans to establish an Indonesian subsidiary
by April. (Antara Photo/Audy Alwi)      

Sandy Lumy, the company’s chief representative for Indonesia, told the Jakarta Globe on Tuesday that the country had better growth potential than other nations in Southeast Asia.

According to International Data Corporation figures for 2009, only 38 out of 1,000 Indonesians own a personal computer.

The company declined to share its sales targets or projected investment in the country, only saying that it planned to open the subsidiary office by April.

Currently, Lenovo exports its products from China to Singapore before passing them on to the local market in Indonesia.

Lenovo plans to start delivering products directly to Indonesia in May, after its subsidiary is established. Sandy said there were no plans to open a local factory.

Lenovo, which began life as a project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1984, recently celebrated the 18th anniversary of the ThinkPad portable computer, a former IBM trademark, which has sold more than 60 million units worldwide.

“That is approximately 16 units per second,” Sandy said.

Since acquiring the IBM stable in 2005, Lenovo has sought to polish its image as a global — not just Chinese — company.

The company claims to be No. 2 in the Indonesian market with a 20 percent market share, behind Hewlett-Packard.

It is the No. 1 computer brand in China.

RI Software Developers Invited to Help Solve Humanitarian Issues

Antara News, Saturday, November 27, 2010 15:43 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia`s top software engineers are invited to participate in the the Jakarta-leg of Random Hacks of Kindness global event which is to be hosted by the Australia-Indonesia Facility for Disaster Reduction on December 4-5, 2010.

A media release from Australian Embassy in its official website said on Saturday that the event would bring together software engineers and disaster management experts for a 48-hour "hackathon."

The participants will create software solutions to improve responses to natural disasters, reduce their impact and help save lives.

Random Hacks of Kindness will take place simultaneously in 20 cities around the world.

The Jakarta event is supported by the Australian Government, Indonesia`s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) and DailySocial.net.

Dr Matt Hayne, the Co-Director of the Australia-Indonesia Facility for Disaster Reduction, said he was proud to host the third global "hackathon."

"Indonesia is extremely prone to natural hazards, so this is an important event," Hayne said.

"It will bring together some of Indonesia`s brightest software engineers to help us develop innovative solutions to disaster management problems," he added.

The hackathon concept was developed by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, NASA and The World Bank.

The first event was held in California in November 2009 and resulted in applications used on the ground during the devastating earthquakes in Haiti and Chile.

The winning application from the second hackathon, from Washington D.C, helped engineers visualize landslide-risks to help guide urban and rural planning and development.

To register for the Jakarta-leg of Random Hacks of Kindness visit: http://www.rhok.org/events/rhok-2/.

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