Rudiantara, Minister of Communication and Information, visited Morotai, North Sulawesi in order to ensure the seamless operation of the Palapa Ring Central Package service. This collaborative infrastructure project was carried out by BAKTI and various telecommunications infrastructure provider companies. Apart from the Palapa Ring project, BAKTI is also constructing a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) to provide network coverage in rural areas. This BTS project involves collaboration among three Telkom subsidiaries: Telkomsel, responsible for BTS mobile operations; Mitratel, responsible for solar panel and tower power provision; and Metrasat, responsible for providing VSAT transmission services. Throughout the visit, EGM B2S Makhdor Rosadi, along with GM Business Project Oslan, accompanied the Minister of Communication and Information to conduct inspection of the BTS within the area. In 2016, 8 BTS were installed, serving 16 villages. Meanwhile, in 2017, the number increased to 31 BTS, serving 72 villages. Accordingly, all villages (88 villages) are covered by the telecommunications network. Additionally, by the end of 2018, Telkomsel had installed 6 BTS with 4G capacity. This brought the total number of BTS towers on Morotai Island to 45, totaling 29 BTS using solar panel & VSAT technology and 16 BTS equipped with 4G capacity. Morotai Island has attained network sovereignty a year ahead of the national target “Indonesia Merdeka Sinyal 2019″. Mitratel has made a significant contribution in advancing cellular networks by integrating telecommunications tower infrastructure with solar panels.
