Yogyakarta to Install 1,000 Free Public Wifi Points

TheIndonesia.co - The Department of Communication, Information, and Encryption of the City of Yogyakarta seeks to meet the needs of easy internet access for the community by targeting 1,000 public wifi points spread throughout the neighborhoods. Until now, there are around 920 public wifi points with speed and range specifications that have been adjusted to the needs, which is around 10-15 Mbps per point.

“The number of 1,000 points is our target. The fulfillment is sought to be more than the target that has been set," said Head of the Yogyakarta City Communication, Information and Encryption Office Tri Hastono in Yogyakarta, Sunday, August 14, 2022.

The public wifi service is placed in a location that is considered strategic by the community and can be easily accessed by residents in need, one of which is at a community meeting place such as the Community Hall.

“By being placed in a location that can be easily accessed by the community, the point is expected to develop into a center for community activities. There are productive empowerment activities," he said.

In addition to the Hall, the installation of public wifi is also carried out in green open spaces, patrol posts, multipurpose buildings, and houses of worship. The 1,000 public wifi points target, continued Hastono, is not solely financed by the Yogyakarta City Budget but can be financed through corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs.

Of the 920 points that have been installed, only about 350 public wifi points are financed directly by the Yogyakarta City Budget. “The existence of this public wifi really helps the community during the pandemic. When schools are conducted online, many people take advantage of this service," he said.

He ensures that his agency will always monitor the condition of public wifi at all points and will immediately make repairs if there are wifi points that experience interference or die. “We can monitor the condition of every public wifi installed. Is it working well or experiencing internet disturbances until the wifi turns off. Everything is monitored," he said.

Hastono added that the public wifi service also supports the use of the Jogja Smart Service (JSS) application owned by the Yogyakarta City Government for various public services that can be accessed online. To date, more than 200,000 residents have downloaded the application, which provides 222 service menus, such as emergency, licensing, complaints, residency, to reporting.