Based on a report from Akamai Technologies Inc, an America-based Internet content delivery network, Indonesia is ranked 101 in terms of the world’s fastest Internet connections with an average Internet connection speed of 2.5 Mbps. This implies that Internet connection quality in Indonesia is among the weakest regions in the world. As Internet has become an essential tool for the transfer of information, fast Internet is important to foster efficient business and a solid investment climate.

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The world is about to see the largest initial public offering (IPO) ever as China’s e-commerce company Alibaba may raise over USD $24 billion through its listing on the New York Stock Exchange on 18 September 2014, thus exceeding the value of IPOs of the Agriculture Bank of China (USD $22.1 billion), and the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (USD $21.9 billion). Alibaba’s market capitalization, valued at about USD $162.7 billion, is the third-largest after Google (USD $400 billion) and Facebook (USD $201 billion).

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Twitter, the online social networking and microblogging service, plans to open an office in Jakarta within the next six months as the number of Indonesian Twitter users has grown rapidly in recent years. In 2013, Indonesia had 29 million Twitter users, making it the world’s fifth-largest Twitter community after the USA, Brazil, Japan and the UK. The American social media giant already owns five offices in the Asia-Pacific region. Similar to other companies, Twitter waited until after the elections before expanding to Indonesia.

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Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, the multinational electronics company headquartered in Suwon (South Korea), said that it plans to establish a factory in Indonesia to produce mobile phones for Indonesia’s domestic market. Samsung Electronics, subsidiary of the Samsung Group (a leading global information technology company), wants to set up the factory in West Java and production is expected to start later this year. Samsung Electronics already owns factories in China and Vietnam.

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Line, a free social network from Japan which provides applications for instant messaging on smartphones and personal computers, had about 30 million Indonesian users at the start of August 2014 (total global users of Line stood at 490 million around the same time). Most of Line Indonesia’s revenue, approximately 60 percent, is accounted for by games, followed by stickers and official accounts (each contributing twenty percent to the company’s revenue). However, Line Indonesia refrained from mentioning absolute financial figures.

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On Monday (02/06), Indonesian Internet services provider Link Net conducted its initial public offering (IPO) on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). Despite the negative market sentiments (brought on by the release of Indonesia's wide April 2014 trade deficit), the company's shares rose 50 percent on its trading debut. Offered at IDR 1,600 (USD $0.14) per share at the start of trading, the shares finished at IDR 2,600 (USD $0.28) on Monday. Ciptadana Securities was appointed as lead underwriter for the IPO.

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Telekomunikasi Indonesia (better known as Telkom) is Indonesia's largest telecommunication and network provider as well as one of the largest companies in Indonesia in terms of market capitalization. The company, majority owned by the Indonesian government, has a dominating market share of between 45 and 50 percent in terms of mobile phone subscribers in Indonesia. It is the parent company of the Telkom Group, which is engaged in a range of businesses that include telecommunication, multimedia, property and financial services.

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Indonesian Internet services provider Link Net decided to set its share price for the company's initial public offering (IPO) at IDR 1,600 (USD $0.14), the upper level of the indicative price as investor demand is expected to be high. The company, a subsidiary of First Media (cable-TV operator and Internet services provider), offers 304 million shares, or 10 percent of its enlarged capital between 22 and 23 May 2014. The listing on the Indonesia Stock Exchange is planned for 2 June 2014. Lead underwriter is Ciptadana Securities.

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Indonesia's e-commerce industry (online shopping) is expected to continue its rapid growth in the years ahead as more and more Indonesians have access to Internet amid the country's rising per capita GDP (resulting in a rapidly expanding middle class). Indonesians' purchasing power has expanded quickly and in combination with the popularity of the smartphone, people are increasingly purchasing consumer goods online. This was one of the conclusions drawn in an online business insight discussion organized by Google and Blibli.com in Jakarta.

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The number of Indonesian Internet users grew 13 percent (year-on-year) to 71.2 million in 2013 according to data provided by the Association of Indonesian Internet Providers (APJII). Overall, Internet penetration in Indonesia now stands at around 28 percent of the country's total population of over 240 million people. The number of Internet users in Indonesia is expected to grow to 107 million in 2014 and 139 million in 2015 based on the Millennium Development Goals. However, the sector needs government support to achieve these numbers.

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Today, Indonesian president-elect Joko Widodo (commonly referred to as Jokowi) and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg met in Jakarta to discuss how Facebook can be utilized for the benefit of the people and how the social media network can support Indonesian micro businesses. With nearly 70 million, Indonesia contains the world’s fourth-largest Facebook community. With a total population that numbers about 250 million people, a burgeoning middle class and relatively low Internet penetration, there remains a large untapped potential.

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The high level of consumption in Indonesia is remarkable. In fact, household consumption in Indonesia is an important engine of economic expansion in Southeast Asia’s largest economy as it accounts for about 55 percent of economic growth. One of the most popular consumption products are gadgets, in particular mobile gadgets. Just take a look in urban environments in Indonesia; everywhere people are holding, playing with, and communicating through some sort of mobile technological device.

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