People's Internet Service WIFI Uses Excessive Frequency, Here are the Calculations

The government has allocated the 1.4 GHz frequency band for Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services at a much lower price than cellular band auctions. However, data analysis reveals that the auction winner using this spectrum is far more “wasteful” compared to major mobile operators serving tens of millions of customers.

Based on auction data from the Indonesian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (BRTI) and corporate performance reports as of Q2 2026, the holder of the 1.4 GHz frequency block—known under the brand Surge (PT Solusi Sinergi Digital Tbk./WIFI)—has a frequency allocation ratio per customer that far exceeds Telkomsel (a subsidiary of Telkom Indonesia), Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, or XL Axiata.

From the data, it is evident that every one million customers on a cellular network only requires a frequency allocation of approximately 1.7–3.3 MHz. In contrast, for the same number of customers, the FWA network in the 1.4 GHz band provides more than 150 MHz, which is nearly 50 to 90 times more than mobile operators.

The Ministry of Communication and Digital previously stated that the base auction price for the 1.4 GHz band was set lower because its objective is to expand internet access to areas not yet covered by fibre optics, rather than for competing in densely populated cellular service markets.

The 80 MHz block won by Surge covers the regions of Java, Maluku, and Papua. Meanwhile, other participants, such as MyRepublic, obtained the remaining blocks for Sumatra, Kalimantan, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, and Sulawesi.

However, because the coverage area of each transmitter is much wider, the available capacity is also very large, resulting in the number of customers per MHz of frequency being much lower than the dense cellular networks found in urban areas.

As of the end of June 2024, Surge recorded a total of 513,040 customers for the 1.4 GHz band, or the IRA (Internet Rakyat) service. This figure remains far below the capacity of the established network. Overall, WIFI recorded 2.3 million customers, but the majority are from the Starlite fixed fibre internet service, rather than FWA.