President Ensures Internet and Communication Access Reaches Outermost Islands

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto has stressed the importance of strengthening communication and internet access for communities in the outermost regions to keep them connected and to ensure they feel the presence of the state.

During a working visit to Miangas, Talaud Islands, North Sulawesi, on Saturday, President Prabowo stated that the government will provide assistance including hundreds of Starlink service units, mobile phones, internet modems, and the strengthening of telecommunications infrastructure through support for the development of base transceiver stations (BTS).

“Then there is strengthening the network so that mobile phones can operate here. There is the minister, Mrs Meutya here, Mrs Meutya is the Minister of Communication and Digitalisation, and she will provide mobile phones, there is Starlink and mobile phones for all households,” said President Prabowo in a broadcast by the Presidential Secretariat in Jakarta on Saturday.

Prabowo views communication connectivity not merely as an additional facility, but as a basic need for modern society and an important part of national defence and sovereignty.

Therefore, the President considers Indonesia’s outermost regions as a priority for development so that communities are not isolated and have adequate communication access.

In addition, better communication access is also considered important in supporting emergency communications in border areas. The government believes that the availability of stronger internet and telecommunications access will open up new economic development opportunities for local communities.

“The presence of a stable communication network is also expected to improve the quality of public services and accelerate public access to various government digital services,” said Prabowo.

The strengthening of connectivity in Miangas reflects the government’s development direction, which is no longer centred in big cities but reaches out to the outermost islands that serve as the front line of national sovereignty.

Through these efforts, President Prabowo emphasised that the state is present to ensure that all Indonesian people, including those in border areas, receive equal rights to access information, communication, and national development.