Ambassador Sung Y. Kim joined U.S. and Indonesian partners on Wednesday, February 2 to celebrate the first anniversary of the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) Community Lab at Telkom University, the first TIP lab in Southeast Asia. Ambassador Kim’s remarks highlighted U.S. public and private sector support for a secure future for Indonesia’s next-generation networks, including 5G and OpenRan.
TIP is a U.S.-led consortium of companies that delivers high-quality connectivity for all using open and transparent infrastructure. TIP has 14 labs in eight countries: Spain, Italy, USA, Indonesia, UK, Japan, Germany, and Brazil.
Telkom University’s TIP Community Lab supports President Jokowi’s “Making Indonesia 4.0” digitization goals. TIP’s Open Radio Access Networks (OpenRAN) Project Group and board members include U.S. companies Meta, Dell, Intel, and IBM. These companies help build, test, and validate Indonesian OpenRAN projects at TIP lab in Bandung.
OpenRAN presents opportunities for Indonesia to grow its own digital ecosystem. OpenRAN firms often assemble equipment domestically, using local labor and driving local demand for data centers and cloud computing. Unlike closed-legacy networks, OpenRAN supports multi-vendor, open-source platforms, improving telecommunications network security and allowing local operators to control services.
U.S. companies are also expanding partnerships with institutions like the TIP Community Lab to bridge Indonesia’s projected digital skills gap and help students become the estimated 9 million skilled workers that Indonesia needs by 2030.
Selamat Siang and thank you, Dr. Adiwijaya, for inviting me to speak at today’s special event.
I would like to first recognize Minister Luhut for his commitment to supporting technology innovation programs throughout Indonesia, and of course, our friend, Minister Plate, for his leadership and vision in telecommunications infrastructure development.
I am delighted to join the ministers to offer my warmest congratulations to the Telkom University. It’s been one year since your prestigious institution was selected as SE Asia’s first Telecom Infra Project, or TIP, community lab. With only 14 labs worldwide, this is a true testament to Telkom University’s capacity for innovation.
I also applaud Telcom Infra Project for its investment into the TIP community lab as a center of excellence at Telkom University.
The U.S. is a committed partner for Indonesia in telecommunications and digital infrastructure. In fact, as the world’s second and third-largest democracies and as centers of digital economy expansion, the United States and Indonesia are natural partners in this sector.
The TIP community lab exemplifies how U.S. companies are also continuing to invest in Indonesia – and are directly supporting President Jokowi’s “Making Indonesia 4.0” digitization goals to advance economic growth in Indonesia.
In fact, U.S. hardware and software solutions are integrated into many of Indonesia’s Smart Cities, and telecommunications operators have benefitted from U.S. technology to streamline operations.
U.S. investors continue to partner with the government to support capacity-building programs in information technology and cybersecurity, and tens of thousands of Indonesian students have participated in U.S. technology training programs that will help bridge Indonesia’s digital skills gap.
Today’s event theme, “Connectivity: Improvements in Rural and Urban Areas,” is of course extremely timely as we continue to harness technology as a vehicle towards economic recovery.
Internet connectivity has become even more critical to our modern economy, and the importance of inclusive networks that reach all communities – rural and urban – has never been more important. However, building the infrastructure to connect every citizen has become a priority and a global challenge.
Through a truly collaborative effort, the TIP community lab is seeking solutions to the problem of connectivity through innovative approaches, and we know that the best innovation comes from partnerships.
When institutions, the private sector, and governments work together, we can solve the world’s greatest challenges, and right now, we need to ensure all citizens have access to the internet.
Telkom University’s TIP community lab tests and validates new technology that will provide open, interoperable, and standards-based networks.
The lab is exploring multi-vendor approaches to telecommunications, such as Open Radio Access Networks that provide transparency, flexibility in design, and choice.
Because our networks touch every aspect of our lives, including our critical infrastructure, security and transparency are crucial, and reliance on a single vendor is risky.
Secure information and communications technology infrastructure is the backbone for a vibrant digital economy, and if built with transparency, all citizens can benefit.
I am pleased to announce that the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) will partner with Indonesia to host a series of workshops on 5G and Digital Connectivity. Through these events, experts will exchange best practice information on the deployment of next-generation networks, including 5G and OpenRan.
The Indonesian government is already taking important steps to connect its citizens and equip its workforce with tomorrow’s skills. The U.S. looks forward to continuing our longstanding partnership and to supporting Indonesia for decades to come.
