Starlink is Free to Enter Jokowi Wants
to Be Inaugurated, RI Conceded?
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Starlink, a satellite internet service based in the United States (US), will be inaugurated directly by President Joko Widodo and Elon Musk in Bali, to coincide with the 2024 World Water Forum (WWF).
Previously, the Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo) confirmed that the Starlink service had successfully passed the Operational Eligibility Test (ULO) stage.
Starlink is scheduled to be tested in the National Capital City (IKN) of the archipelago in the middle of this month.
However, there are several concerns that have arisen regarding Starlink’s entry into Indonesia.
According to cyber security experts from Cissrec Pratama Persada, the use of communications services owned by foreign companies also poses a potential threat to Indonesia’s digital sovereignty.
One of them is due to limited control and supervision because the state does not have full control over satellite infrastructure operated by foreign companies.
Additionally, foreign companies operating satellite infrastructure such as Starlink could have control over user data and information passing through their networks.
“This could be a problem if this data is misused or accessed by unauthorized parties,” Pratama told CNBC Indonesia, quoted Friday (17/5/2024).
He believes that it is also important to establish an earth station in Indonesia. That way, the government can censor and block illegal content from domestic ISPs that collaborate with Starlink.
If the backbone used is not from an Indonesian ISP, then censorship cannot be carried out. Because, according to Pratama, this is outside the authority of the Indonesian government.
Minister of Communication and Information Budi Arie Setiadi himself requires Starlink to use an Indonesian IP address. Pratama considers this step to be appropriate because it forces Elon Musk’s company to have a ground station and gateway within the country.
When asked where the government’s interception was for Starlink, he said it couldn’t be. The business concept carried out by the company is different from when it collaborated with Telkomsat.
With Telkomsat, Starlink goes through the backbone of a Telkom subsidiary. However, now people can more freely buy services directly from Starlink.
“In the past, the initial concept was from Starlink, it went into Telkomsat’s backbone first, then it was sold retail to users. It turns out that now Starlink also directly serves retail. People can also freely buy antennas and subscriptions directly. So our government has no role.” he concluded.
Source : CNBC INDONESIASOURCE : CNBC INDONESIA
