Indonesia’s 5G penetration is only 10 percent, far below the Asian average

5G penetration in Indonesia is still low

Penetration of 5G services in Indonesia is still relatively limited when compared to several countries in the Asian region which has reached around 50 percent. In Indonesia, 5G penetration is currently in the range of around 10 percent. This is due to several factors that influence the development of this technology.

Lecturer of the ITB Electrical and Informatics Engineering (STEI) School, Ian Yosef Matheus Edward said that the limitations of the 5G spectrum are available, the price of the device is not yet fully affordable, as well as the business model and use of the service (use case) which is still developing into a major obstacle.

According to Ian, to provide optimal 5G services, ideally one operator has an allocation of around 100 MHz spectrum. However, with a continuous 50 MHz in the TDD band, 5G services can already run with a fairly good performance. Currently, some operators are still optimizing the existing spectrum and used for 4G networks, so that 5G implementations run side by side with previous generation networks.

In the future, Ian is of the view that spectrum management policies need to be designed not only to maximize state revenue, but also to encourage sustainable network investment and equal access.

“If the spectrum is managed with a rational cost structure and given to operators who are committed to building broadly, the benefits will eventually be felt by the community through better services and stronger digital economic growth,” he said in a written statement.

5G service with the best performance

The independent agency OpenSignal in the December 2025 edition of the Mobile Network Experience report shows the difference in the performance of 5G services between operators in Indonesia. In a number of indicators such as 5G video experience, 5G download and upload speed, and network quality consistency, Telkomsel has the highest score compared to other operators..

In addition, in the category of Coverage Experience and Availability Experience 5G, the report also shows Telkomsel is at the top position. This finding shows that the quality of 5G is determined not only by network expansion, but also by more fundamental technical factors.

According to Ian, 5G performance is strongly influenced by the ownership of an adequate and sustainable frequency spectrum. “In cellular technology, the width and continuity of the spectrum are the main keys. Operators with a wider spectrum and continuously arranged will be more optimal in delivering 5G speed and stability,” he explained..

He added, in addition to the spectrum, the support of a strong and integrated backbone infrastructure also contributes to the consistency of the user experience. This combination of factors is generally reflected in the measurement results of independent institutions such as OpenSignal.

Factors Affecting 5G Performance

Some of the important factors that affect the performance of 5G services are:

• frequency spectrum: Wider and continuous spectrum provides greater space for data transmission, thereby increasing network speed and stability.
• Backbone infrastructure: Strong and integrated support network ensures consistent service availability.
• business model and service usage: The development of business models and the use of more diverse services will encourage increased 5G penetration.
• network investment: Sustainable investment from operators will accelerate the expansion and improvement of service quality.

With a better understanding of these factors, governments and operators can work together to increase 5G penetration in Indonesia, so that people can feel the benefits directly.