December 10, 2025 | 10:18 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Internet access in 602 disaster-hit locations is disrupted, said the president director of Telecommunications and Informatics Accessibility Agency of the Ministry of Communication and Digital, Fadhilah Mathar. The government is still working to restore 189 locations in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
On Saturday, December 6, 2025, Fadhilah said on Wednesday that the ministry has "successfully restored" internet access in 413 out of 602 locations in Sumatra affected by floods.
Fadhilah mentioned that in Aceh, 348 locations across six regencies were affected. Meanwhile, in West Sumatra, 49 locations in Padang Pariaman Regency were affected, and in North Sumatra, 205 locations out of eight regencies had disrupted internet access.
Additionally, Fadhilah added that the ministry has provided 17 emergency internet access locations in Aceh, West Sumatra, and North Sumatra. "Bakti has provided 17 emergency internet access locations," he said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Communication and Digital, Meutya Hafid, said the damage to Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) was most severe on December 2, 2025. However, telecommunication needs in the disaster areas of Sumatra, including those affected by landslides, can be supported with emergency internet.
"Temporary connectivity through satellites, we have deployed in the affected areas," said Meutya on Thursday, December 4, 2025, as quoted from a written statement.
She mentioned that some services that have reached the affected areas include SATRIA-1, Starlink satellite internet, and the self-satellite service of PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN). "We are still assessing where satellite assistance will be needed," Meutya said.
The Ministry of Communication and Digital has already provided 10 emergency internet service points based on the SATRIA-1 satellite.
According to Meutya, residents' devices in Aceh, West Sumatra, and North Sumatra can reconnect to the internet even though local connectivity infrastructure is disrupted. Technologies like SATRIA-1 are designed to reach 3T areas (frontier, outermost, and underdeveloped regions) and difficult-to-access areas.
Defara Dhanya contributed to the writing of this article.
Read: 969 Dead in Sumatra Floods and Landslides, Indonesia's BNPB Reports
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