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PRISIDENT Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk, discussed the acceleration of digital transformation and the potential for investment development in Indonesia during a meeting in Bali, on Monday.
“Indonesia is currently undergoing accelerated national digital transformation and opening up a lot of investment potential in the infrastructure, government technology, digital economy, and digital society sectors,” the President told Musk after the opening of the 10th World Water Forum at Bali International Convention Center (BICC) in Badung district, Bali.
Therefore, Indonesia continues to encourage investment of Musk’s companies such as SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, and Boring Company in the South Asian country, Widodo said.
Regarding the ongoing Starlink collaboration, Widodo expressed the hope that Starlink will synergize with Internet providers in Indonesia to provide affordable Internet access, prioritize consumer protection, and ensure cheaper rates for Internet use at public services, including at community health centers and remote schools in Indonesia.
During the meeting, Widodo also lauded Musk for participating in the 10th World Water Forum as a speaker to discuss the importance of water management.
Meanwhile, Musk said he was honored to participate in the forum and expressed happiness over his visit to Bali. “We hope to be able to provide Starlink connectivity to support education and health facilities in Indonesia,” he added.
His visit to Bali was seen as a signal of global investors’ high interest in Indonesia’s digital economy, as well as the potential for future cooperation to support digital infrastructure throughout the country.
Earlier, on Sunday (05/19), 2024, Musk, along with Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, carried out a Starlink Internet network trial at Sumerta Klot Community Health Center in Denpasar. The effort aimed to support health services at the community health center, such as uploading medical record data to the Sehat IndonesiaKu Application (ASIK) and non-communicable disease (PTM) screening.
Minister Budi noted that the cooperation with Starlink was important to support the progress of services, especially community health centers in remote places without internet access. [antaranews/photo special]
