Government Prepares 5G and AI as Backbone of Indonesia's Economy
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The government has recorded the acceleration of 5G and artificial intelligence (AI) technology development as a strategic step to realise the vision of Golden Indonesia 2045.
Both technologies are positioned as critical national infrastructure that will serve as the main foundation for future digital economic growth.
Director General of Digital Infrastructure at the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi), Wayan Toni Supriyanto, stated that digital transformation is no longer merely a sectoral agenda but has become a primary pillar of national development.
“Indonesia has set a grand vision of Golden Indonesia 2045, namely to become a developed country with a strong, inclusive, and sustainable economy. In that context, digital transformation is no longer just a sectoral agenda but has become a primary pillar of national development,” Wayan said at the opening of the IndoTelko Forum seminar in Jakarta on Wednesday (29/4/2026).
“However, we realise that connectivity alone is not enough. That is, connectivity by itself is insufficient; we must go further in building a digital ecosystem that is not only connected but also intelligent, adaptive, and sovereign,” he explained.
Within that framework, 5G serves as the foundation for connectivity with high speed and large capacity. This technology enables various innovations in the industrial, health, education, and smart city development sectors.
“In this context, 5G and Artificial Intelligence or AI must be placed as critical national infrastructure. 5G provides a connectivity foundation with high speed, low latency, and large capacity that enables various new innovations,” he emphasised.
However, he reminded that the main challenge is not only in building the technology but also in utilising it to ensure it is inclusive, secure, and provides positive impacts for society.
“Therefore, our challenge is not only to build the technology but to ensure that its utilisation is inclusive, secure, and provides real benefits for society,” Wayan continued.
The need for large-scale computing, massive data storage, and integration with cloud and edge computing technologies is expected to continue increasing. Therefore, the government is encouraging the development of national data centres as strategic digital assets.
Not only that, the government is also striving to promote the equitable distribution of data centre development so that it is not concentrated in western Indonesia. Expansion to eastern regions is one of the focuses to support equitable digital economic growth.
In addition to the aspect of equity, data centre development is also directed towards adopting the green data centre concept to ensure energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.
Furthermore, he emphasised that the success of digital transformation depends on the quality of human resources (HR). Therefore, the government continues to promote the development of digital talent through various training programmes, reskilling, and collaborations with industry and educational institutions.
The main focus is on creating talent that is not only capable of using technology but also able to create innovations, particularly in the fields of AI, data, and digital networks.