East Kalimantan Receives Award for Accelerating Digital Connectivity in 2026

Infrastructure is merely the initial step. What is far more crucial is empowering human resources through digital literacy. Samarinda (ANTARA) - The East Kalimantan Provincial Government has successfully achieved a brilliant national accolade by receiving the award as a province supporting the acceleration of digital connectivity for 2026. “This award was presented at the Appreciation for Digital Connectivity 2026 event organised by detik.com at The Sultan Hotel, Jakarta,” said Acting Assistant for Government and Public Welfare of the East Kalimantan Provincial Secretary, Andi Muhammad Ishak, in a statement in Samarinda on Saturday. Andi Muhammad Ishak, representing East Kalimantan, received the award and explained that East Kalimantan was deemed superior in promoting equitable technology infrastructure and narrowing the digital divide in its region. In response to this achievement, East Kalimantan Governor Rudy Mas’ud stressed that infrastructure is only the first step. What is far more crucial is empowering human resources through digital literacy. In his address, the Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs of Indonesia, Meutya Hafid, who attended the event, stated that the Appreciation for Digital Connectivity 2026 serves as a form of recognition for parties that have tangibly worked to expand information access across the country. He appreciated the consistent collaboration of the East Kalimantan Provincial Government in realising inclusive digital change. East Kalimantan’s digital leap is inseparable from strategic policy interventions through the Gratispol programme, particularly the Free Village Internet sub-programme. Since its launch on 21 April 2025, this programme has demonstrated massive results, successfully providing internet access in 803 villages out of a total of 841 villages in East Kalimantan, with the remaining 38 villages targeted to be fully connected this year. Through the Communication and Informatics Office (Diskominfo), the East Kalimantan Provincial Government is committed to continuously improving bandwidth quality and encouraging internet utilisation for productive sectors, such as village SMEs and digital public services. This award serves as authentic proof of East Kalimantan’s commitment to accelerating digital transformation, ensuring that no residents in remote areas are left behind in the global flow of information.