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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Not everywhere in Indonesia can you enjoy Internet access. Moreover, in most parts of the country the quality of Internet connectivity is relatively low. Considering that in today’s world Internet access is key to developing any knowledge-based economy (which subsequently triggers social and economic development), it is important that high-quality Internet connectivity is further expanded and improved in Indonesia.

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It is widely known that Indonesia’s digital economy has been expanding rapidly over the past 10-15 years (and the COVID-19 crisis, in fact, accelerated this development in a significant manner). In this article, we take a look at the rise of digital payments across Indonesia.

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Indonesia’s digital economy is very promising. Near the end of 2019, Google and Singaporean wealth fund Temasek revised their projection for Indonesia's Internet economy (upwards) to reach USD $133 billion, in total value, by 2025. This would be a big jump from the value of around USD $40 billion in 2019.

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Whenever you sit in a coffee shop or restaurant (warung) in Indonesia, enjoying a drink or a meal, you will probably notice that most of the Indonesians around you are in constant contact with their mobile phones (or smartphones), iPads, and laptops. Or, when you walk on the bustling urban streets, you will notice that many Indonesians are sitting or standing next to the road while using their smartphones.

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Indonesia, the world’s 16th-biggest economy, recently joined the “trillion-US dollar club” having a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of USD $1.01 trillion. Meanwhile, the country’s annual economic growth has been going at a pace of around 5.0 percent over the past couple of years.

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It’s not only a question of being digital or not; it’s more about the level ofdigital transformation that you are willing to take.

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Three Indonesian telecommunication and network providers are considered to have great room for improving their corporate earnings in the second half of 2017. These companies are Telekomunikasi Indonesia, Indosat Ooredoo, and XL Axiata. Reason why these companies should experience a good performance in H2-2017 is Indonesia's "data consumption trend".

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Indonesians love the Internet and love sharing their daily experiences or thoughts with their online friends. Photo-sharing application Instagram draws a huge audience from Indonesia. Reportedly, more then 45 million active users log on to Instagram every month in Indonesia, implying a more than 100 percent year-on-year (y/y) growth pace compared to the number of Indonesian Instagrammers one year ago. What explains this growth? Indonesia's huge population as well as steadily rising Internet and Smartphone penetration.

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Although the amount remains a secret, the government of Indonesia and Alphabet's Google finally managed to reach an agreement on the tax settlement after a long dispute that started in mid-2016. The news was confirmed by Indonesian Finance Ministry Sri Mulyani Indrawati. The dispute started because Indonesian authorities felt the so-called "over-the-top content" giants, referring to those companies that deliver content through Internet, deliberately did not set up permanent establishments in Indonesia in order to avoid taxes. Besides Google, other examples are Yahoo, Facebook and Twitter.

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A new study conducted by the Better Than Cash Alliance, a partnership consisting of governments, companies, and international organizations, shows Indonesia has now become the world's fastest-growing mobile-commerce market (m-commerce). Growth of online shopping in Southeast Asia's largest economy is attributed to the rising spending power of Indonesia's middle class as well as expanding Internet and smartphone penetration. According to the study, Indonesia's m-commerce market surged 155 percent in 2016.

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