Andre Rosiade Confirms Telkomsel BTS at Sitinjau Lauik Will Be Operational Before Eid
Deputy Chairman of House of Representatives Commission VI Andre Rosiade personally inspected the construction of a Telkomsel Base Transceiver Station (BTS) in the Sitinjau Lauik area, Lubuk Kilangan district, Padang, West Sumatra, on Tuesday (17 February).
The inspection was carried out together with Telkomsel Padang’s Network Operation Productivity Manager Andy Suapril and the technical team to ensure the communications network improvement project on the Padang–Solok route was progressing on schedule.
Andre Rosiade stressed that the construction of the BTS at Sitinjau Lauik, specifically within the Bung Hatta Grand Forest Park (Tahura) area, was of critical importance because the area is known as an extreme route prone to accidents and landslides. The presence of a strong telecommunications network was deemed crucial for road user safety and accelerating emergency response.
“Sitinjau Lauik is prone to disasters and accidents. We want to ensure the public can get a good signal. If there is an emergency, communication can be made quickly. This also applies to those from the diaspora who will be returning home ahead of Eid,” said Andre Rosiade in his statement on Tuesday (17 February 2026).
Andre Rosiade added that the BTS construction was part of the government’s commitment to improving digital infrastructure services in hazard-prone areas and strategic routes across West Sumatra. He considered collaboration between the House of Representatives and Telkomsel essential so that the public, including inter-provincial road users, would no longer experience communications dead zones.
“God willing, this is the commitment of President Prabowo Subianto’s administration to continue providing the best services to the people of Indonesia, particularly West Sumatra. They will soon be able to enjoy a signal on the Solok–Padang journey through Sitinjau Lauik,” said the Chairman of the Gerindra Party’s West Sumatra regional board.
According to the Telkomsel team, construction of the 72-metre tower had reached the foundation-pouring stage. Following that, the tower erection process was estimated to take two to three days. Overall, Telkomsel was optimistic the BTS could be operational before this year’s Eid.
Andre Rosiade expressed hope that upon completion of the BTS, the people of West Sumatra — particularly those returning to their home towns during Eid — would be able to enjoy a safer and more comfortable journey with stable communications coverage.
“Our hope is that before Eid, the public will already be able to enjoy a good signal on the Sitinjau Lauik route. This is important for public safety and services,” he said.
Meanwhile, Andy Suapril explained that the signal coverage of the Sitinjau Lauik BTS was projected to reach as far as Panorama 2 and support the network around the Sitinjau Lauik flyover project. In addition, network optimisation from the Bukit Subang BTS in Solok Regency was also being prepared so that the Padang–Solok route would no longer experience signal dropouts.
Furthermore, the construction of the BTS at Sitinjau Lauik was expected to serve as a permanent solution to eliminate dead zones on this vital West Sumatran route, whilst also strengthening disaster preparedness in the area.