Since April 2022, all 139 villages in East Kutai have been connected to the internet through FO, radio, and satellite to accelerate digital transformation.
Heaptalk, Jakarta — The Indonesian Government pays great attention to accelerating digital transformation which is formulated in the Indonesia Digital Roadmap 2021-2024. Four pillars bolster the transformation, namely digital infrastructure, digital government, digital economy, and digital society.
To embody this goal, the East Kutai Regency Government through the Department of Communication and Informatics, Statistics and Encryption (Diskominfo Staper) made several breakthroughs in building digital infrastructure at the village, district, and regency levels.
The Head of the East Kutai Diskominfo Ery Mulyadi said that one of the breakthroughs in digital development in East Kutai is the digitalization of public services in the villages. “Now there are several villages that have utilized digital technology for services at the village level. We are currently assessing whether the application of this technology can be continued and developed in all villages,” said Ery while attending DTI-CX 2023 at the JIExpo Jakarta Grand Ballroom (07/26).
Since April 2022, all 139 villages in East Kutai have been connected to the internet network either through fiber optic (FO), radio, or satellite connections. Most recently, Ery said that his party had installed an internet network in the district using Starlink as a collaboration with PT Telkom Satelit Indonesia (Telkomsat).
The Regency Government has also installed an internet network at the district level to accommodate population administration services. This facility shortens the administration process simply by visiting the respective districts. Previously, people had to go to the regency capital in Sangatta to administer residence documents.
Currently, the East Kutai Government is also preparing digital literacy centers to scale up HR capacity in utilizing digital technology. Ery explained, “Digital literacy centers will be placed in all districts. We will gradually build them in 18 districts. The equipment is still in the shipping process. In the second week of August, we will install digital literacy equipment in 6 districts.”
Meanwhile, at the regency level, Ery said his party has also carried out several programs to improve public services by utilizing information technology-based platforms.
Lack of IT infrastructure and human resources
However, Ery admitted that the government faces several obstacles in accelerating digital transformation in East Kutai, one of which is inadequate IT infrastructure. “The main challenge is related to infrastructure. Our infrastructure is indeed insufficient compared to our vast territory,” he said.
Apart from infrastructure, the lack of skilled human resources in the IT sector also hinders the development of digital ecosystems in the East Kutai Regency Government. Thus far, the government has organized several capacity-building activities through IT training.
Another challenge is advancing people’s ability to utilize IT technology for productive purposes. “Don’t let this technology drive people to be more consumptive. We hope that this technology can help people to improve their economy, how can they leverage technology to support, for example, economic activities, specifically in the SME sector,” Ery concluded.
