The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) plans to move all telecommunications device testing to domestic facilities by the end of 2026.

Minister Meutya Hafid announced this initiative during her visit to the Indonesia Digital Test House (IDTH) in Depok, West Java.

Hafid said this effort addresses Indonesia’s past reliance on foreign labs due to limited local capacity.

The establishment of IDTH is intended to fill this gap with testing processes that meet international standards.

The government aims to boost self-reliance in the digital sector through transparent and internationally recognized testing.

IDTH, operational since May 2024, has earned over 32 billion rupiah (US$1.9 million), though this is still below global benchmarks.

To speed up progress, Komdigi signed a deal with the National Standardization Agency (BSN) to improve accreditation and develop domestic testing centers.

🔗 Source: Katadata

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Indonesia’s testing initiative represents a multi-billion dollar economic opportunity

The revenue gap between Indonesia and developed nations in telecommunications testing highlights the significant economic potential of this initiative.

IDTH has generated Rp32 billion (approximately USD 2 million) over three years, which pales in comparison to Germany’s annual Rp59 trillion (approximately USD 3.7 billion) and South Korea’s target of Rp11 trillion (approximately USD 690 million) from testing activities 1.

This disparity reflects both the maturity gap and untapped opportunity in Indonesia’s telecommunications testing ecosystem, especially considering the global telecom testing market is projected to reach USD 965.3 million by 2028 2.

The initiative aligns with Indonesia’s broader digital transformation goals outlined in the Digital Indonesia Roadmap (2021-2024), which aims to accelerate connectivity improvements across the archipelago 3.

By building domestic testing capacity, Indonesia positions itself to capture more value from the telecommunications supply chain while reducing foreign currency outflows for services that could be performed locally.

2️⃣ Self-reliance in testing balances economic and regulatory priorities