Internet Quota Controversy: Between User Rights and Service Governance

The controversy surrounding “expiring internet quotas” has resurfaced following the Constitutional Court’s (MK) continuation of hearings on the judicial review of the Job Creation Law, which intersects with the telecommunications sector. In the hearings, industry associations and several telecommunications service providers attended as related parties to explain the data package practices that have been in operation thus far.

This issue touches on aspects close to daily life: the internet is now used for work, study, and accessing public services. Therefore, it is understandable that the public pays significant attention to data package schemes, especially when there is still remaining quota but the package’s validity period has ended.

During the trial, MK judges highlighted aspects of fairness and transparency, while encouraging solutions that protect customers.

“We need to acknowledge that there are valid consumer concerns. Customers pay, then feel the benefits stop before they are optimal. The challenge is how to improve governance so that customers understand from the start, without sacrificing the quality of service for the wider public,” said M. Ridwan Effendi, Associate Professor at STEI ITB, in an official statement on Friday (24/4/2026).

Ridwan exemplified that in some telecommunications markets, prepaid data packages with specific validity periods are common practices. In the Philippines, for instance, several Globe prepaid data packages are offered with validity periods of 7 days or 15 days (even shorter variants for daily needs).

In Malaysia, CelcomDigi also markets prepaid passes with a 30-day validity as a common cycle for monthly packages. Meanwhile, in Thailand, dtac offers prepaid add-on internet packages varying from 1 day to 30 days, showing that time limitations remain a widely used approach to manage service options.

On the other hand, some operators also provide rollover/stacking options, usually as additional features with certain conditions. For example, in Singapore, Singtel Prepaid states that customers can roll over and accumulate (stack) unused data (including roaming data and IDD) for up to 6 months, so remaining benefits do not immediately expire as long as customers meet the specified requirements.

In addition to rollover, there is also a “no expiry” approach as a product variant; in the Philippines, Smart offers the Magic Data package, which is explicitly marketed as no-expiry data (does not expire until fully used). This variety of practices shows that globally, operators generally combine time-limited packages as standard with flexibility options (rollover/stacking or no-expiry) for certain segments.

Therefore, the most relevant policy discussion is not merely “whether or not there is a validity period,” but how those choices are presented clearly, easily understood, and consistently so that customers can select the scheme that best suits their needs.

In the context of regulations in Indonesia, prepaid internet services are understood as telecommunications services provided through networks. The basic framework is regulated in Government Regulation No. 52 of 2000 on Telecommunications Services, which was then adjusted and updated through Government Regulation No. 46 of 2021 on Postal, Telecommunications, and Broadcasting.

PP 46/2021 is important to note because it is explicitly established to implement the provisions of Article 70, Article 71, and Article 72 of the Job Creation Law, so it can be understood as an implementing regulation (PP level) that derives/elaborates on the norms of Article 71 of the Job Creation Law, including changes related to service/tariff governance connected to Article 28 of the Telecommunications Law.

In line with that, PP 46/2021 also streamlines previous regulations by revoking several articles in PP 52/2000 (including parts related to certain regulations), so the telecommunications services framework becomes more relevant to the current ecosystem.

At the operational level, those principles are then summarised and become the main reference through Minister of Communication and Informatics Regulation No. 5 of 2021 on Telecommunications Services, which explicitly bases its legal foundation on PP 52/2000 and PP 46/2021, while affirming that aspects such as service validity periods, information transparency, and service feature choices fall under service governance, not merely commercial issues.

“Global practices are diverse. Some have strict validity periods, others offer rollover options with certain conditions. The policy space and product design are available in Indonesia. It’s just a matter of making it the most transparent and fair,” Ridwan emphasised.

Meanwhile, the case ongoing at the MK, among other things, questions norms in the Job Creation Law that amend provisions in the Telecommunications Law. This case is seen to open room for interpretation regarding tariff/service governance and its impact on consumers, including debates about prepaid quotas that end their validity period. The petitioners assess that, as a service increasingly approaching basic needs, the internet should provide certainty and a sense of fairness for users.

“If the validity period is part of the service, then the governance burden is: information must be ‘visible’ and easy to understand, not just in the terms and conditions. This transparency will determine the sense of fairness in the public’s eyes. However, if this issue is read merely as ‘expiring quota vs consumers,’ the discussion quickly stalls. What is actually being tested is broader: service governance, including transparency, certainty, and fairness in the design of prepaid internet services,” Ridwan stated.

On the other hand, representatives of mobile operators in the hearing provided explanations that internet services in data packages constitute access rights to network capacity for a certain volume and period. Therefore, the term “expiring quota” is deemed inaccurate. What occurs is the end of the service period according to the provisions chosen by the customer at the time of purchase.