Impacts and Benefits of Starlink's Presence Need to be Studied Deeper

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) assesses that the presence of Starlink in providing access to internet services in Indonesia will encourage a more competitive digital economic landscape and technological innovation. Kadin also asked the government to conduct a deeper study of the impact and benefits of Starlink for the development of the digital economy.

Vice Chairman of Kadin Indonesia for Communication and Information, Firlie H Ganinduto said the presence of Starlink could create a competitive climate for the local telecommunications industry. Starlink, a satellite-based internet service, is expected to increase healthy competition among internet service providers (ISPs) in Indonesia.

Firlie called the entry of internet services from Starlink an inevitable technological advancement.

“The statement earlier is clear, we actually cannot reject technology. Moreover, Starlink can help accelerate equal distribution of internet access, and that is important,” said Firlie (6/6/2024).

Furthermore, Elon Musk's satellite-based internet service through the SpaceX company also has an impact on increasing equitable internet access for all Indonesians. This will encourage inclusive and collaborative economic growth and development.

“For example, for the health and education sectors, equalizing internet access in remote areas provides opportunities for people to get better health and education services,” he said.

Firlie added that domestic ISPs have the opportunity to collaborate with Starlink to improve the quality and coverage of telecommunications services for the people of Indonesia.

“We see that the presence of various global technology companies opens up space for collaboration for national businesses, both through technology transfer, best practice implementation, and various other potential mutually beneficial collaborations,” he said.

“We discussed a model where perhaps Starlink provides backbone or coverage, while local ISPs prepare customer service and other services. There is still a lot of potential that can be explored. We just need to find the meeting point,” he added.

However, Firlie also emphasized the importance of government assertiveness to ensure Starlink follows existing policy obligations in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

“We propose creating a level playing field. We encourage the government to conduct an in-depth evaluation and study of the impacts, benefits, and opportunities of Starlink's satellite-based internet presence,” he concluded.