Ministry of Communication and Digital asserts notifications are not a solution for protecting remaining data quotas

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Communication and Digital (Kemkomdigi) has emphasised that the measures taken by mobile operators to provide expiry notifications are insufficient to fulfil the mandate of the Constitutional Court (MK) regarding the protection of customers’ remaining internet data quotas.

Denny Setiawan, Director of Digital Infrastructure Strategy and Policy at Kemkomdigi, stated that forms of protection such as SMS or application notifications are merely preventive and do not provide direct protection for the economic value of a customer’s remaining quota.

“Notifications are not a solution for remaining quota that has already gone unused. Notifications only remind customers that their quota is about to expire,” Denny said during a press conference at the Ministry of Communication and Digital office in Central Jakarta on Saturday.

The Ministry is encouraging mobile operators to provide substantive protection mechanisms that truly safeguard economic value, ensuring customers have the opportunity to continue utilising the quota they have purchased.

During the evaluation, it was found that non-rollover packages—where data expires at the end of the period—are still available and are only equipped with notification-based protection.

XL Axiata (XLSMART) was recorded to still have 9 packages based on information reinforcement and notifications, in addition to 92 packages that already utilise a data rollover mechanism.

A similar situation was found at Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH), where 71 out of 94 evaluated packages still rely solely on additional notifications seven and two days before the package expires.

As for Telkomsel, 76 out of 95 packages still feature protection limited to intensive notifications regarding validity periods and remaining quota.

Kemkomdigi has requested that the dozens of non-rollover packages from these three mobile operators be adjusted immediately to implement real protection mechanisms in accordance with the Constitutional Court’s ruling.

“According to the government’s evaluation, protection mechanisms must not be merely preventive; there must be a mechanism that provides substantive protection to truly safeguard the economic value of the customers’ remaining quota,” Denny emphasised.