Indonesia's XLSmart Invests IDR 1.29 Trillion in 2026 to Expand 5G

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Indonesian telecommunications operator XLSmart has allocated IDR 1.29 trillion in investments for the full year 2026 to support 4G and 5G network development. These funds will be specifically directed toward strengthening network infrastructure and the additional procurement of spectrum in the 700 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands, aiming to address growing data traffic demand and ensure signal reliability.

XLSmart Director and Chief Technology Officer Shurish Subbramaniam stated that network integration, new tower construction, 4G expansion, and 5G development are progressing in parallel, with the initial target of 50 cities now planned to expand to more than 88 to 100 cities. He made these remarks on August 3, 2026, in Jakarta. This investment covers three major parallel infrastructure development tracks, including tower network integration, new tower construction, 4G coverage expansion, and the deployment of 5G base transceiver stations (BTS).

With these funds, XLSmart has revised its 5G network expansion target from the initial 50 cities to more than 88 to 100 cities across Indonesia. Currently, the company's 5G service operations are supported by nearly 13,000 active 5G base transceiver stations (BTS) nationwide. Unlike standard 5G connections that only enhance overall speeds, Ultra 5G+ employs a dedicated bandwidth allocation mechanism, delivering guaranteed data access speeds of up to 500 Mbps to users.

Faisal Farrid, Head of Retail Solutions at XLSmart, explained that the key difference of Ultra 5G+ lies in its frequency bandwidth allocation, which is not shared with other traffic, thereby maintaining high network stability when running heavy applications, artificial intelligence (AI) processing, and low-latency online gaming. The package also features the Auto 5G function, allowing customer devices to connect directly at maximum speed without cumbersome package configuration, and bundles value-added services such as Double 5G Quota, free roaming in nine countries, six months of Google Gemini access, and an Entertainment Hub.

Integrating all technological advantages into a single Ultra 5G+ portfolio is part of XLSmart's monetization strategy, enabling users to fulfill all their connectivity needs in one unified package without subscribing to multiple services separately. According to internal company statistics, the adoption of Ultra 5G+ has driven growth in data consumption and active user numbers, with improved user-perceived connection quality directly contributing to organic business growth.

This IDR 1.29 trillion investment is expected to be further supplemented based on business growth dynamics, increasing customer numbers, and future network capacity requirements. Sustained infrastructure strengthening is anticipated to support the inclusive acceleration of Indonesia's national digital ecosystem.