Employees of the Indonesian telecommunications company Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN) gathered around its headquarters in South Jakarta last week to witness the launch of Space X's Falcon 9 rocket via live stream. The rocket contained the company's highest capacity satellite called the Nusantara Satu. The payload is meant to be brought into geosynchronous orbit, where it will be able to significantly boost Indonesia's internet capabilities.
PSN reportedly has a lot riding on the success of the mission, which it hopes will boost the economic activity outside of the Indonesian capital. The Nusantara Satu satellite project cost the company around US$230 million, which was 70 percent funded by the state-owned credit agency Export Development Canada.
The satellite is expected to reach geostationary orbit above Papua within two weeks. The Nusantara Satu reportedly has a total data transfer capacity of 15,000 megabits per second. It will be used to provide internet services to numerous remote Indonesian villages within the year. PSN's newly added capability will reportedly allow the company to provide internet access to over 10,000 Indonesians.
Majority of the Indonesians that are living outside of the capital don't have access to traditional internet connections. The added service should greatly improve telecommunications infrastructure within those areas. According to the company's president, Adi Rahman Adiwoso, PSN currently cannot compete in the capital given that it has more than enough access to the internet via 4G and fiber optic.
The company's president also noted that there are still around 25 million people in eastern Indonesia that have no access to traditional internet infrastructures and they are simply filling in the demand. While the company's service is slightly more expensive than conventional internet facilities, its ability to penetrate more remote areas via its satellites do justify its cost. A gigabyte of data through the company's satellite service typically costs US$10, while 30 gigabytes through fiber optics or 4G costs just around US$3 in the capital.
PSN estimates that it should be able to generate around US$55 million in revenue each year when the satellite finally becomes operational. The company is also expected to add to more satellites in the coming years, which it is reportedly already working on. The two satellites are named Nusantara Dua and Nusantara Tiga. The satellites are expected to launch in 2020 and 2022, respectively.
The Falcon 9 rocket was launched at the Cape Canaveral launch center in Florida. The rocket also contained two other payloads, namely an Israeli moon lander and an experimental spacecraft built by the United States Air Force. Israel's moon lander will be the world's first privately funded mission to the moon. It is expected to arrive at its destination within eight weeks.
