IOH expands 4G coverage in rural Indonesia with ZTE microwave backbone deploymentIOH expands 4G coverage in rural Indonesia with ZTE microwave backbone deployment

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison has deployed more than 550 ultra-capacity microwave backbone links across Indonesia to expand its 4G coverage.

Gigi Onag, Senior Editor, APAC

January 13, 2025

2 Min Read
IOH expands 4G coverage in rural Indonesia with ZTE microwave bacbone
(Source: Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison)

Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) has deployed over 550 ultra-capacity microwave backbone links across Indonesia to expand the coverage of its 4G services to remote and rural areas of the 17,000-island archipelago.

In an announcement on Friday, IOH said the initiative has significantly increased Indosat's subscriber base, particularly in remote areas, where backhaul capacity in regions such as Sumatra and Kalimantan has increased to 2-3 Gbit/s, with peaks of 6 Gbit/s.

"Residents now enjoy uninterrupted access to real-time information, online education, and digital entertainment. The enhanced connectivity has also catalyzed local economic growth by creating jobs, boosting tourism, and fostering knowledge sharing, all while supporting advancements in healthcare and education," the telco operator said.

Tackling Indonesia's geographic challenges

IOH noted that traditional wired communications struggle with the country's rugged terrain and high costs, leaving many areas digitally disconnected. This lack of access hinders economic opportunities and limits social development, highlighting the urgent need for cost-effective and accessible solutions.

The telco operator teamed up with ZTE, which provided its microwave technology, to cover nearly 80% of Indonesia's major cities and remote islands.

The microwave solution uses multi-frequency, ultra-broadband antennas that allow frequency selection, which ZTE said reduces tower load and rental costs. It added that the solution's customized branching units minimize hardware requirements, which improves cost efficiency while maintaining high performance.

In addition, the solution design integrates 4T4R modem boards for rapid deployment and supports smoother upgrades, enabling IOH to increase capacity up to eight times and extend coverage to new areas, according to ZTE.

"At Indosat, we are committed to empowering Indonesia by bridging the digital divide," Desmond Cheung, IOH director and chief technology officer, said in a statement. "By deploying advanced technology, we are not only improving digital experience but also unlocking opportunities for economic and social progress, creating a brighter digital future for Indonesia."

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About the Author

Gigi Onag

Senior Editor, APAC, Light Reading

Gigi Onag is Senior Editor, APAC, Light Reading. She has been a technology journalist for more than 15 years, covering various aspects of enterprise IT across Asia-Pacific.

She started with regional IT publications under CMP Asia (now Informa), including Asia Computer Weekly, Intelligent Enterprise Asia and Network Computing Asia and Teledotcom Asia. This was followed by stints with Computerworld Hong Kong and sister publications FutureIoT and FutureCIO. She had contributed articles to South China Morning Post, TechTarget and PC Market among others.

She interspersed her career as a technology editor with a brief sojourn into public relations before returning to journalism, joining the editorial team of Mix Magazine, a MICE publication and its sister publication Business Traveller Asia Pacific.

Gigi is based in Hong Kong and is keen to delve deeper into the region’s wide wild world of telecoms.

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