Low broadband internet penetration in Indonesia: Only 10.71 million users in 2020.

The number of Indonesian users of fixed broadband (telecommunications broadband network) remains very low. Not all areas in Indonesia are served by broadband networks, especially in rural and remote areas.

Limited service availability and high subscription costs are among the obstacles to the low number of broadband users domestically. According to data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the number of high-speed fixed broadband subscribers in Indonesia was 10.71 million in 2020. This figure represents only 3.92% per 100 inhabitants. In other words, only 4 out of 100 people in Indonesia use fixed broadband networks.

Indonesia's broadband usage lags behind other Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore, Vietnam, and Thailand. In Singapore, fixed broadband users reach 25.94 per 100 inhabitants. Vietnam has 17.16%, Thailand 16.62%, Brunei Darussalam 16.25%, and Malaysia 10.38%.

To increase internet penetration, the government has built a 36,000-kilometer (km) Palapa Ring fiber optic telecommunications infrastructure network throughout the country. However, not all areas are served by this high-speed telecommunications network.

A significant portion of the population still relies on cellular networks for communication and accessing online information. Furthermore, cellular networks are more readily available and have wider coverage than fixed broadband services.