The development of information and communication technology (ICT) in Indonesia is uneven. The digital ecosystem gap within the country is also widening.
This is depicted in a report by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) entitled *Information and Communication Technology Development Index 2022*.
BPS measures the achievement of ICT development across all Indonesian provinces through three main indicators.
Firstly, ICT access and infrastructure. This indicator's value is formulated based on the ratio of fixed telephone subscribers per 100 inhabitants, the ratio of mobile telephone subscribers per 100 inhabitants, the average international internet bandwidth consumption per user, the percentage of households with computers, and the percentage of households with internet access in each province.
Secondly, ICT usage. This indicator's value is formulated from the percentage of individuals using the internet, the ratio of fixed broadband internet subscribers per 100 inhabitants, and mobile broadband internet subscribers per 100 inhabitants at the provincial level.
Thirdly, ICT expertise. This indicator's value is formulated from the average years of schooling, the gross secondary participation rate, and the tertiary participation rate in each province.
These indicators are then formulated into a score on a scale of 0-10. The higher the score, the better the ICT development in a region is assumed to be.
Here is a detailed categorization of the ICT Development Index score from BPS:
* Score 0 to 2.50: Very Low
* Score 2.51 to 5.00: Low
* Score 5.01 to 7.50: Moderate
* Score 7.51 to 10.00: High
Using this method, in 2022 DKI Jakarta obtained an index score of 7.64, the highest among other provinces. Meanwhile, Papua Province only obtained a score of 3.22, the lowest nationally.
Of Indonesia's 34 provinces in 2022, only one province achieved a "high" development index, namely DKI Jakarta.
Then 32 provinces fell into the "moderate" category, and only one province had a development index classified as "low," namely Papua.
BPS also found that the gap in ICT development widened in 2022.
"In 2021, the difference between the highest and lowest ICT Development Index was 4.31, and it widened in 2022 to 4.42," said BPS.