Telkomsel Concludes DCE Academy and Summit 2026 to Support SMEs Going Global
Telkomsel, through its Digital Creative Entrepreneurs (DCE) programme, held the DCE Academy & Summit 2026 in Bandung as part of the company’s commitment to assisting SME players in becoming more prepared to grow in the digital and artificial intelligence (AI) era. Carrying the theme ‘AI-Enabled SMEs Growth: How Locals Go Global’, this series of programmes presented learning sessions, mentoring, live shopping, benchmarking, pitching, and inspirational sessions with business actors and the creative ecosystem.
DCE is designed to strengthen the capabilities, creativity, and competitiveness of SMEs through an AI-based growth approach, enabling business actors to carry out digital transformation more sustainably. In its implementation, DCE Academy equipped participants with various practical materials, ranging from market trends and product development, access to funding, branding and digital marketing, networking, leadership, to the utilisation of digital channels such as live shopping.
VP Corporate Communications & Social Responsibility Telkomsel Abdullah Fahmi stated that through the DCE Academy & Summit 2026, Telkomsel aims to ensure that technology, including AI, can be understood and utilised relevantly by SME players. ‘For us, digital innovation is not just about increasingly advanced technology, but about how that technology helps business actors make better decisions, reach customers more widely, and create a real impact for society. This is part of Telkomsel’s commitment to continue serving wholeheartedly and opening more inclusive future growth opportunities,’ he said.
The high enthusiasm of SME players was evident from the more than 2,900 applicants for the DCE programme from across Indonesia. From this number, Telkomsel selected the 500 best SMEs to attend onboarding sessions, before then choosing the 12 best SMEs to proceed to the DCE Academy & Summit 2026. This phased curation process ensures that the selected participants have competitive products and are fully prepared to strengthen their business models, expand their markets, and create a more sustainable impact.
The DCE 2026 series brought together the 12 best SMEs from four categories: Fashion, Food & Beverages, Craft, and Personal Care. The finalists came from various regions in Indonesia, including West Java, East Java, the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Bali, North Sumatra, Papua, DKI Jakarta, and other areas, with products that highlight local strengths, sustainability, community empowerment, and digital innovation. The finalist assessment covered five main aspects: product excellence, business model, marketing strategy, digitalisation, and social and environmental impact.
At the peak of the DCE Summit 2026, the finalists participated in pitching sessions, inspiring talks, an SME bazaar, networking, and an awarding ceremony for the Best Fashion Track, Best F&B Track, Best Craft Track, Best Personal Care Track, and Best of the Best categories. ‘Through this process, Telkomsel wants to demonstrate that CSR and sustainability actions can be present concretely. Not just through aid, but through mentoring that strengthens business capacity, opens market access, and enlarges opportunities for local SMEs to level up,’ he added.
Founder of RUMA Papua and recipient of the Best of the Best DCE 2026 award, Dian Lestari, said that from the first day of joining DCE, she received mentoring that helped her view her business more strategically. ‘Through this series of programmes, we learned how to strengthen our products, build a brand story, and utilise technology to reach customers more widely. DCE gave us the space to grow more confidently,’ she explained.
Cumulatively up to 2026, DCE has attracted the interest of more than 12,800 SME applicants, mentored over 1,180 alumni and produced 22 best alumni, presented hundreds of webinar and mentoring sessions with hundreds of experts and mentors, and distributed billions of rupiah in grant funding support. The impact of DCE mentoring is also reflected in the achievements of several alumni who have been able to expand their markets, increase turnover and production capacity, while strengthening business models based on social and environmental impact.
Going forward, Telkomsel will continue to strengthen DCE as a collaborative platform for SMEs, mentors, industry players, and the digital ecosystem so that more local SMEs can level up, become competitive, and grow sustainably with the support of the latest digital technology utilisation.