Fixed-line telecom operators form Jartatel association

Fixed-line telecommunications operators have declared the formation of the Fixed Telecommunications Network Operators Association (Jartatel) as a collaborative platform to guide regulation and accelerate the development of national digital infrastructure. “Without a robust digital network, the dream of equitable information access and digitalisation is merely wishful thinking,” said Jartatel Chairman Raymond Hubertus during the association’s declaration event in Jakarta on Friday. “Therefore, we fixed-line network operators on the front line are trying to realise that dream.”

He stated that the organisation was formed in response to the problem of limited collaboration among telecommunications network operators. The association is also a response to challenges in the telecommunications business, including soaring network relocation costs and the utilisation of shared spaces, which is considered inequitable for all business players. Raymond conveyed that dynamics on the ground show the high cost of network relocation is increasingly burdening the fiscal space of operators, and this has a direct impact on the decline in aggregate corporate investment efficiency. Furthermore, he raised the need for standardisation and transparency in the governance of public space utilisation and shared infrastructure.

Jartatel was established to oversee government policy and harmonise technical regulations in the downstream telecommunications sector, particularly in the operation of fixed telecommunications networks. “We are all telecommunications companies hoping this can create synergy between the government’s mission and the business of telecommunications companies,” he said. To achieve this target, the association has set five main organisational missions. Jartatel’s missions include protecting members’ interests professionally, supporting the development and equitable distribution of fixed telecommunications network infrastructure in Indonesia, and implementing transparent and accountable organisational governance. Additionally, the association is committed to improving the competence and technical standards of its members to fully support the acceleration of national digital transformation. Jartatel’s operational values are underpinned by four basic principles: independence from the domination of any party’s interests, professional management with high integrity standards, accountability in governance and financial transparency, and placing full sovereignty in the hands of its members.