Jakarta (ANTARA) \u2013 The government\u2019s plan to distribute free mobile\nphones to the public has attracted attention after Hashim\nDjojohadikusumo revealed a plan to digitise the delivery of government\nassistance.<\/p>\n
The phones are intended to be linked to digital accounts so that\nassistance can be paid directly to members of the public.<\/p>\n
Hashim announced the plan at the Prasasti Indonesia Policy Forum 2026\nin South Jakarta on Tuesday (13 October). Hashim, who is a member of\nPrasasti\u2019s Board of Advisors, said the government wanted to expand\naccess to digital financial services, particularly for people who do not\nhave bank accounts.<\/p>\n
However, the government has not announced detailed arrangements for\ndistributing the free phones, including the timetable and specific\neligibility criteria. Information about requirements circulating\npublicly should be understood in the context of the statements made so\nfar.<\/p>\n
Hashim explained that the planned phones would come with digital\naccounts. The system is expected to make it easier for the government to\npay assistance directly into each recipient\u2019s account.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery citizen will be given a mobile phone with a digital account.\nAll the funds will be held there and sent to each person\u2019s account,\u201d\nHashim said at the event.<\/p>\n
According to Hashim, digitisation is also intended to reach informal\neconomic activity that has not been fully recorded in the financial\nsystem. The government plans to move assistance payments away from\nreliance on cash.<\/p>\n
In his presentation, Hashim said around 30 per cent of Indonesia\u2019s\npopulation did not have a bank account. The government plans to involve\nbanks in opening accounts for people who lack access to financial\nservices.<\/p>\n
Requirements for the free accounts announced<\/strong><\/p>\n Hashim said free bank accounts were planned for people aged at least\n17 who are Indonesian citizens and hold an electronic identity card\n(e-KTP).<\/p>\n The account-opening fee, which he said was Rp50,000, is intended to\nbe waived. The two banks named to provide the accounts were Bank Syariah\nand Bank Rakyat.<\/p>\n However, these are the criteria Hashim outlined for free bank\naccounts, not official requirements for receiving a free mobile phone.\nAs of the time this information was compiled, no official details had\nbeen released on whether the phones would be distributed under the same\ncriteria.<\/p>\n The public has also not received detailed information about the\ndevices\u2019 brands and specifications, the number of phones to be\ndistributed, how recipients will be identified, or the distribution\nschedule.<\/p>\n The proposed use of phones and digital accounts is consistent with\nthe government\u2019s efforts to expand the digitisation of social\nprotection. The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi)\nhas previously said that digitising social assistance is intended to\nimprove targeting and transparency, and make services easier for the\npublic to access.<\/p>\n In August 2026, the government said digital social protection had\nbeen implemented in 153 regencies and cities across 38 provinces. More\nthan three million families had been registered in the system, with\nplans to expand it to 49 million families.<\/p>\n People can access the service through the social protection portal.\nResidents who are unfamiliar with digital services can also receive\nassistance from registered agents.<\/p>\n The social protection digitisation programme already under way should\nnevertheless be distinguished from the plan to distribute free phones.\nBoth involve using technology for government services, but the\narrangements for distributing devices and the eligibility requirements\nhave not yet been fully explained.<\/p>\n Public urged to beware of fake registration\nlinks<\/strong><\/p>\n Until an official announcement is made about the free phones, the\npublic should not rush to fill in forms or submit personal information\nthrough links circulating on social media.<\/p>\n ANTARA reported on 30 September 2026 that fake links had been\ncirculated in the name of a government assistance programme offering\nlaptops and phones to students from low-income families. The links were\na phishing scheme that could be used to obtain people\u2019s personal\ndata.<\/p>\n Komdigi has also urged the public to use official government channels\nwith the go.id domain when accessing digital social protection services.\nPeople should be wary of anyone asking for money on the pretext of\nhelping with an assistance application.<\/p>\n Information about the free phone plan should therefore be monitored\nthrough official government announcements. The public should wait for\nclarification on the timetable, registration process and eligibility\nrequirements before taking action.<\/p>",
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