Most Villages in North Kalimantan Lack Internet Connectivity

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded North Kalimantan as the province with the highest national percentage of villages without internet access in 2019, namely 41.7% of the total 447 villages. According to BPS North Kalimantan data, the details are: 109 villages in Nunukan, 46 villages in Malinau, 21 villages in Bulungan, and 3 villages in Tana Tidung.

The national average percentage of villages without internet access is 9.1%. Nine other provinces below this average are Maluku (40.32%), West Papua (30.61%), North Maluku (26.36%), Papua (22.97%), West Kalimantan (21.67%), West Sulawesi (16.92%), Central Kalimantan (11.8%), East Kalimantan (9.73%), and East Nusa Tenggara (9.57%).

(Read More: Susenas 2018: Only 27% of Rural Population Uses the Internet)

Extensive internet networks can provide opportunities for villages to improve their economies, especially for small, micro, and medium enterprises (SMEs). The government aims to connect all villages with a 4G network by 2022 to accelerate the digitalization of SMEs post-Covid-19.

According to data from the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, to date, 12,458 or 14% of the 83,280 villages and sub-districts are still not connected to a 4G network. Palapa Ring is one of the government's ambitious projects in providing integrated telecommunications infrastructure throughout Indonesia.

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