Willem\u2019s Toren III Lighthouse on Breueh Island, Aceh, is said to be\none of three such structures built by the Dutch colonial government in\ndifferent parts of the world. The other two are in the Netherlands,\nwhere one now serves as a museum, and in the Caribbean Islands.<\/p>\n
The tower was not built for the islanders. It was built to guide\nships sailing towards the Strait of Malacca, one of Asia\u2019s most\nimportant trade routes, and to monitor the sea that a kingdom on the\nother side of the continent sought to control.<\/p>\n
Bustami, 49, grew up in the lighthouse\u2019s beam. From the remote\nharbour, his voice can now reach almost anywhere. He often makes calls\nor uses TikTok, where he shares fish prices with anyone willing to watch\nand listen, helping him market grouper, mackerel tuna, tuna and, most\nsought-after of all, octopus.<\/p>\n
Before mobile phones arrived, residents of Breueh Island relied on\nRadio Baiturrahman to hear news about family across the sea.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery morning at seven, Radio Baiturrahman had a special programme\nannouncing who had died that day. We listened to the broadcast in our\ngampong (village). If it was a neighbour or someone we knew, we would\ntell the others to get ready to pay our respects,\u201d Misbah said.<\/p>\n
Misbah said the news sometimes arrived too late for people to travel\nthat day, as passenger boats left at about 8am.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe then had to wait until the next day to go to Banda [Aceh],\u201d he\nadded.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, change came in a much gentler wave. Private operators\nentered the area in 2012 and the signal began to improve, although many\nparts of Pulo Aceh remained mobile black spots.<\/p>\n
In 2019, the regional government pushed for a major expansion of the\nnetwork. BAKTI, under the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs\n(Komdigi), built a base transceiver station (BTS) in Alue Raya village.\nThere are now four BTS towers on the island, steel structures that emit\nno light but reach far wider than any lighthouse beam.<\/p>\n
In 2022, BAKTI opened 24 internet access points across Pulo Aceh, at\nlocations ranging from schools to government offices. Statistics\nIndonesia (BPS) data show that all villages in Pulo Aceh subdistrict,\nincluding those on Breueh Island, now have internet coverage, although\nspeeds vary.<\/p>\n
For Basri, a 50-year-old fisherman, the change is most apparent when\nnegotiating prices.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past, we would simply hand our fish over to the toke [buyer\nor middleman] at sea. We accepted whatever price we were offered. Now we\ncan check prices on our phones and negotiate for more,\u201d the fisherman\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He used to accept the price set by the toke. Now he checks prices on\nhis phone before selling, allowing him to bargain for more. Octopus, his\nmost valuable catch, can fetch up to Rp90,000 per kilogram. Before\nsetting out, he also checks sea conditions, and between tasks he can\ncontact his family at home.<\/p>\n
Another fisherman, Buwaizhi, said the signal gave him peace of\nmind.<\/p>\n
\u201cInternet access is a great help. We still have a connection where we\nfish, so if our engine breaks down or there is an emergency at sea, we\ncan ask for help from shore,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The network reaches the waters where he fishes. If his engine fails\nor an emergency occurs, he can now call for help from shore\u2014from\nfriends, relatives or harbour staff. The sea that once swallowed\nfishermen as far away as the Andaman now has a thread linking it to\nland.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/from-willems-toren-iii-lighthouse-bustami-opens-a-window-on-the-world-1792572681", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }