Nearly Three in Every Four Indonesians are Internet Users

KOMPAS.com – The number of internet users in Indonesia is nearing 200 million or nearly three-fourths of the entire population.

A survey released by the Indonesian Internet Service Provider Association (APJII) showed that during the second quarter of 2020, there were 196.7 million internet users in Indonesia or 73.7 percent of the country's population of 266.9 million.

Chairman of APJII Jamalul Izza said that several factors have caused the number of internet users in Indonesia to skyrocket.

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One is better and more equitable access to broadband connections thanks to the Palapa Ring.

Another explanation is the effective and successful implementation of policies promoting digital transformation coupled with the coronavirus pandemic.

“The uptick was also backed by APJII’s programs such as Independent Village Internet which received support from 500 members of the association.”

APJII worked with the Indonesia Survey Center in issuing the survey and the results also reveal an 8.9 percent increase in the number of internet users in Indonesia amounting to 25.5 million people.

Internet users on the island of Java contribute the most with 56.4 percent of the country’s total internet users followed by the island of Sumatera with 22.1 percent, Sulawesi with 7 percent, Kalimantan with 6.3 percent, Bali-Nusa Tenggara with 5.2 percent, and Maluku-Papua with 3 percent.

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There has also been a surge in the number of internet users on the Java island as it went from 55.7 percent in 2019 to the current 56.4 percent which Jamal attributes to the continued development of internet-related infrastructure on the island.

Another survey finding shows that the internet penetration rate is higher in some provincial capitals than the national rate of 73.7 percent.

Jakarta has an internet penetration rate of 85 percent, Bandung at 82.5 percent, and Surabaya at 83 percent. The internet penetration rate in Serang reached 100 percent.

The APJII survey further showcased how 95.4 percent of the Indonesian population are smartphone users, 19.7 percent are laptop or tablet users, and 9.5 percent are PC users.

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The rest access the internet using Wi-Fi services available at the home, office, cafes, or public space.

Majority use mobile data

Approximately 14.5 percent of the survey respondents have internet subscription at home, but Jamal shared that almost 97.1 percent of respondents access the internet using their mobile data.

As such, he finds that the next challenge is to increase the penetration rate of fixed broadband access.

In the battle to win the most internet users in Indonesia via a fixed broadband connection, Indihome and First Media come on top followed by CBN and Biznet.

The majority of consumers prefer an internet speed of 10-20 Mbps while the average spending on internet services reach Rp 300,000 – Rp 400,000 per month.

APJII also highlighted the behavior patterns of internet users in Indonesia during the pandemic when the majority spend more than 8 hours online.

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The media content most accessed, based on APJII’s findings, are educational contents and school-related topics.

On the other hand, almost half or 49.3 percent of survey respondents turn to online videos for entertainment followed by 16.5 for online games, and 15.3 percent for online music.

The top four reasons behind Indonesians’ decision to use the internet are social media, online communication, online games, and online shopping.

In the context of the latter, Shopee, Lazada, Tokopedia, and Bukalapak were the clear favorites among internet users in Indonesia with an affinity for shopping.

More than two-thirds of 68.7 percent of internet users in Indonesia feel safe in carrying out online transactions further boosting online shopping trends.

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As for financial services, Indonesians have a strong preference for fintech, m-Banking, and internet banking.

When it comes to social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter make the top of the list.

Internet users in Indonesia further turn to YouTube for their music and video streaming needs while WhatsApp beats out other online messaging platforms in the likes of Line and Facebook Messenger.

(Writer: Wahyunanda Kusuma Pertiwi | Editor: Oik Yusuf)

Source: https://tekno.kompas.com/read/2020/11/10/07160027/pengguna-internet-indonesia-mendekati-angka-200-juta?page=all#page2