Miangas Island Receives Starlink Equipment Assistance

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government is strengthening digital access for the community on Miangas Island, Talaud Islands Regency, North Sulawesi Province, through support for internet access and stronger communication services via Starlink equipment assistance, mobile phones, and telecommunications signal enhancement. “This support is being prepared by the government through President Prabowo Subianto’s working visit accompanied by the Minister of Communication and Digital, Meutya Hafid, to Miangas Island,” stated an official release from the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) on Saturday. In the statement, this assistance represents an important step to strengthen communication access in border areas, particularly for Miangas residents. Each family is targeted to receive one Starlink device unit and one mobile phone unit. Overall, the government has prepared 180 Starlink modems and 210 mobile phones to support the communication needs of the community on this outermost island. The details are as follows: Boeing 7308 carrying 47 units, Falcon 0707 carrying 47 units, Falcon 0801 carrying 66 units, and PK CAA aircraft carrying 20 units by hand. Meanwhile, the 210 mobile phone units are already in Manado City for subsequent shipment to Miangas Island. In addition to device assistance, residents will also receive support for improving signal quality. BAKTI of Komdigi, together with Telkomsel, is preparing the addition of Base Transceiver Station or BTS network equipment. These devices are being transported from Manado to Miangas using chartered aircraft. The programme also forms part of efforts to equalise digital access for communities in Indonesia’s outermost regions, especially in border areas that have long required more adequate telecommunications infrastructure support.