Kemkomdigi states that Internet Village programme drives village economic growth

Lombok (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Communication and Digital (Kemkomdigi) states that the Internet Village programme not only expands internet access but also drives local economic growth through the development of business actors and the internet service provider ecosystem. Director of Digital Infrastructure Acceleration at the Ministry of Communication and Digital, Mulyadi, said the government provides incentives to internet service providers for a one-year period to build internet networks in locations previously unreachable by internet. “The government targets one location where, with a subsidised budget, the operator can lay cables there. It turns out that in the process, demand also grows from the last network point to the village being built,” Mulyadi said during a press conference in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, on Tuesday. He explained that the government selects areas with potential for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to ensure the sustainable use of the internet network while encouraging economic circulation in those regions. “Once the infrastructure is installed, the economy or businesses can continue to operate. They have income, so their businesses keep running,” Mulyadi stated. In addition, the presence of the new network also triggers new economic potential for communities around the digital infrastructure development sites. “Along the cable laid from the last end to the village, new customers emerge. So we are creating a new ecosystem, new economy, and new creative potential for the surrounding communities,” he said. According to Mulyadi, as the economic circulation in beneficiary villages of the Internet Village programme begins to grow, other operators will be attracted to enter because they see the potential market. “So by providing incentives to one region, it turns out there are many successes or economic growths that can proceed,” Mulyadi added.