President of Indonesia Distributes Mobile Phones to All Households on Miangas Island
President of Indonesia, accompanied by several ministers from the Red and White Cabinet, brought gifts for all residents of Miangas Island in Talaud Islands Regency, North Sulawesi Province, on Saturday (9/5/2026). As one of Indonesia’s outermost islands directly bordering the Philippines, the Head of State presented mobile phones to the people of Miangas.
This initiative forms part of the government’s commitment to ensuring that communities in border areas remain connected and feel the presence of the state up to the foremost points of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. During his visit to Miangas Island following attendance at the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines, the President emphasised the importance of strengthening communication and internet access for communities in outermost regions.
Prabowo also provided assistance to the residents of Miangas Island, including hundreds of Starlink units, mobile phones, internet modems, and enhancements to telecommunications infrastructure through support for developing Base Transceiver Stations (BTS). He assessed that communication connectivity is no longer merely an additional facility but has become a basic need for society.
This step is simultaneously an important part of national defence and sovereignty. Therefore, he continued, Indonesia’s outermost regions must be a priority for development so that communities are not isolated and have adequate communication access.
“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 are Starlinks and mobile phones for all households,” said Prabowo during his visit and dialogue with residents in the courtyard of SMKN 2 Talaud.
According to Prabowo, strengthening the communication network on Miangas Island is expected to support various daily community activities, from the education sector, health services, to the economic activities of coastal communities and fishermen. In addition, he stated that better communication access is also considered important in supporting emergency communications in border areas.
Prabowo 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.
The strengthening of connectivity in Miangas simultaneously reflects the direction of government development that 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, Prabowo affirmed that the state is present to ensure all Indonesian people, including communities in border areas, are served.