Jakarta, 25 October 2020 – The COVID-19 pandemic has a huge impact on countries around the world. Almost all business activities in various aspects of the industry have been affected by this pandemic and they are required to adapt in order to survive. However, there are also several sectors that have good opportunities and prospects to provide the best service to the public, including the health, food, e-commerce, and Information & Communication Technology (ICT). 

As a state-owned telecommunications company, PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (Telkom) is one of the many ICT business players who are required to adapt to the pandemic-induced disruption. After declaring its transformationinto a digital telco company last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided space for digital acceleration, requiring the company to accelerate these transformation efforts.

Telkom certainly captured this opportunity to survive by providing a brilliant performance and by producing innovation with its digital products and services to meet the various needs of a shifting society.

The pandemic has indirectly altered lifestyles and needs, that it accelerated digital adoption. In Indonesia, for example, in order to minimize the spread of the virus, the Government has imposed the large scale social restrictions, known by its acronym PSBB, which drove employees to work from home  and students to learn from home. This condition has shifted the society’s needs of society, and the internet is a very important necessity today. “Telkom, through its infrastructure, platforms and digital services, seizes this opportunity and becomes an enabler for every community activity during the pandemic," Telkom Finance Director, Heri Supriadi said in Jakarta (23/10).

This also makes Telkomsel Digital Business and IndiHome as the main engines of the Company's revenue growth in the first half of 2020, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. IndiHome posted Rp10.4 trillion in revenue or grew 19.1% compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, Telkomsel's digital business grew 13.5% YoY to Rp31.9 trillion and grew its contribution to revenue by 72.4% from 62.2% last year.

Telkom continues to develop infrastructure from the allocated company capital expenditure (capital expenditure), which will be used to strengthen all its business lines, be it mobile-related business, fixed broadband, and other businesses. Despite the high competition and also the decline in the legacy business, Telkom Digital Services was able to grow and compensate for the decline in the legacy business, and even credited as the backbone of the company's business performance. 

Company Transformation and Digitalization 

Apart from developing land, sea and air telecommunication infrastructure to remote areas of Indonesia, Telkom is now intensively transforming into a digital telco that focuses on three digital business domains, namely digital connectivity, digital platform, and digital services. Telkom consistently continues to accelerate the development of smart digital infrastructure and platforms, develop superior digital talent, boost digital capabilities, and the nation's digital adoption rate and orchestrate the digital ecosystem to provide the best digital customer experience.

To enhance its digital capabilities and business development, Telkom has mindfullt identified and precisely chose its strategies, by adhering to the concept of Build (develop from internal competencies), Borrow (partnership), Buy (acquisition) in consideration of the company's value proposition. Telkom also participates in developing digital ecosystem through incubation facilities such as Amoeba and Indigo and supports startup investment through MDI Ventures.

"In Indonesia, digitalization has enormous benefits to support various activities. Therefore, we strive to be present in every aspect of people's lives and to support their needs. Even in the midst of a pandemic, with hard work and enthusiasm to constantly innovate, we hope to maintain the company's momentum in providing the best for the community and the country through the best product and service performance, in order to support the digitalization in Indonesia,” Heri Supriadi said.