Govt to boost partnership on rural ICT development
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In a world that is increasingly connected, even rural farmers can make use of the Internet to broaden their access to global markets.
Suhar, a 28-year-old bean farmer from Bojonegoro, East Java, has enjoyed increased orders as a result of posting his product profile on the Internet. He did this when a community learning center, equipped with computers and Internet, was set up in his village.
Because of the tangible benefits that rural populations derive from information and communication technology (ICT), the government is planning to build up to 100 more telecenters next year.
"We hope to build 50 more telecenters, and upgrade some 50 villages under the USO (universal service obligation) program, with Internet connections next year," Partnerships for E- Prosperity for the Poor (PE-PP) national project manager Zulfikar M. Rachman said on the sidelines of a national ICT seminar on Wednesday.
A Telecenter is an information and community development center using Internet connections as a basis. Local communities can enjoy access to information in a center equipped with computers, printers and scanners.
The National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) has run the PE-PP program with the assistance of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) since 2004.
The UNDP has granted US$1 million for a five-year program that is expected to boost ICT penetration throughout the country.
According to data from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the telephone penetration rate in Indonesia stands at 8 percent on average for both fixed lines and cellular phones, while the computer penetration rate is about 4 percent.
Currently, six telecenters have been set up in villages in East Java, Central Java, South East Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, Gorontalo and Papua.
PE-PP also signed an agreement at Wednesday's seminar with telecommunications infrastructure developer PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN) to develop more of the centers.
Each center will require Rp 100 million (about $10,000) to Rp 150 million for hardware, and another Rp 300 million for a year of community development assistance.
The assistance aims to optimize the use of information as well as creating local community-participatory programs that utilize the telecenters.
Separately, Microsoft Indonesia has since 2003 worked together with non-governmental organizations to develop a similar program by setting up Community Training and Learning Centers (CLTCs).
As of today, there are 28 CLTCs nationwide, giving 80,000 rural villagers access to the Internet as well as providing basic computer training for 14,000 people.
The program is part of Microsoft's global initiative to provide ICT access to rural communities.
The company said that it would focus on giving ICT access to farmers next year, by setting up eight to 10 more CLTCs.