Ministry striving to make telecommunication services election-ready

The Communication and Informatics Ministry (Kominfo) said here on Friday that it is ensuring the readiness of telecommunication services for the 2024 General Election implementation.

The ministry is coordinating with the General Elections Commission (KPU), the General Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), and internet service providers to ensure smooth telecommunications access and internet services during the election process.

"We are coordinating with the KPU and Bawaslu. We will actively oversee the process," head of the ministry's monitoring and telecommunications center team, Indra Apriyadi, said.

He informed that the team is coordinating with the Indonesian Internet Network Providers Association (APJII) and cellular operators. "We have asked them to give their support and maintain their networks," he said.

Apriyadi informed that the ministry's telecommunications network coverage map has been submitted to the KPU so that the commission can place polling stations (TPS) at locations with optimal internet access.

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Meanwhile, director of control at Kominfo's Directorate General of Post and Informatics, Dani Suwardani, has asked the KPU to tell workers at polling stations to download the Sigmon app to check signal strength and telecommunications network quality.

That way, the ministry's Integrated Monitoring Center will be able to fix any signal disturbances.

"Our Integrated Monitoring Center can automatically monitor (signal) disturbances. We will send tickets (notices) to the relevant internet operators to fix them," he informed.

Kominfo has also asked KPU and polling station workers in remote areas to use the internet networks provided by digital infrastructure built by the Telecommunication Accessibility Agency (BAKTI).

"If there is no signal at polling stations, they (officers) can get signals in areas where BAKTI provides internet from AI and SATRIA-1 (satellite). When they reach an area where there is a signal, they can send the (vote) recapitulation data online," Suwardani said. (INE)