WIFI, Telkom, and Sinarmas Advance in 1.4 GHz Frequency Auction, Analyst Calls It a Game Changer for Affordable Internet

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JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — Three telecommunications companies have officially advanced to the final stage of Indonesia’s 1.4 GHz frequency auction for Broadband Wireless Access in 2025. The firms are PT Solusi Sinergi Digital Tbk, or WIFI, through its subsidiary PT Telemedia Komunikasi Pratama, state-owned PT Telkom Indonesia Tbk, or TLKM, and Sinarmas-owned PT Eka Mas Republik.

The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Kemenkomdigi) announced that the companies passed the administrative verification stage and will compete in the price auction beginning on Monday, Oct 13, 2025, through an e-auction system.

Heru Sutadi, Executive Director of the ICT Institute, said the outcome reflects the seriousness of players ready to deploy services using the 1.4 GHz band. “If only three remain, it means they are the ones truly committed and qualified to move to the next selection stage,” he told Investortrust.id on Thursday, Oct 2, 2025.

Heru explained that deploying the 1.4 GHz spectrum is not a straightforward process. It requires robust infrastructure and strong integration with wireless technology at the end-user level. “For 1.4 GHz, implementation is not easy, because you must already have a network that can be combined with wireless at the edge,” he said.

Unlike mobile spectrum with wide coverage, the 1.4 GHz band has limited transmission capacity and relies heavily on fiber-optic backbones. “The key is fiber-optic networks,” Heru emphasized.

Despite the challenges, he believes the three companies are strong enough to compete and capable of delivering high-speed internet services at affordable prices. “We hope they can provide fast internet access at low cost,” he added.

Heru underlined that the outcome of the 1.4 GHz auction could mark a turning point for Indonesia’s fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) market. “After the winners are announced, we need to watch the network rollout and spectrum utilization. We must ensure that affordable broadband — Rp 100,000 for 100 Mbps — can be achieved, because this could be a real game changer,” he said.

The government views the 1.4 GHz spectrum allocation as a strategic move to expand national data capacity and strengthen 5G infrastructure, particularly to extend digital connectivity to underserved and remote regions.