Indonesia’s only 4G service breaks hearts with stealthy price hike

Bolt, Indonesia’s only 4G mobile internet service, has been a ray of light for Indonesia’s techies since it launched 10 months ago. But the way the company is treating its users lately, it’s likely a backlash is coming.

Operating in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi areas, Bolt currently serves over 750,000 users in Indonesia – many of whom will notice big changes in the next billing cycle. The company has very stealthily increased prices and slashed data plans, without making any formal announcements on its website or social media accounts.

What’s even more surprising is that the new package deal – which affects existing customers – cuts the 4G data quota in half while keeping the price the same. The company substitutes the missing half by giving users a bonus data quota which will only be valid for seven days.

Here’s a price comparison between the old and the new data deals:

Bolt’s old price list

Bolt’s new price list

While the new price offers a larger total 4G quota, most of that comes from the heavily restricted bonus. What’s even more odd is that the packages for IDR 150,000 (US$12) and IDR 200,000 (US$16) give users 14GB and 21GB bonus quotas for just one week. Given that Bolt’s internet signal is quite unreliable from time to time, it’ll be difficult for users to finish off so much data in just seven days. And users agree:

Why all the anger?