Annual Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise GovDay 2020 webinar

Jakarta, 11 November 2020 – Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, a leading provider of communications, networking and cloud solutions tailored to customers’ industries, hosted its annual ALE GovDay 2020 webinar themed ‘Reshaping Indonesia’s Connected Government’ on 10-11 November 2020. The event focused on the role of technology in the global health crisis and discussed the measures that have been and will be taken by the government, private sector organisations, and other related parties to accelerate the nation’s digital transformation.

ALE GovDay 2020 was supported by Indonesia’s Ministry for National Development Planning/National Development Planning Agency, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, and the Ministry of Transportation.

Driving digital transformation

Over the last few months, the health crisis has uprooted normalcy. One of the most prominent changes is the prevalence of digital technology use in everyday life. The limited face-to-face activities in almost all sectors have forced people to become more aware of digital transformation. On the other hand, the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technology in society.

Keynote speaker, Minister for National Development Planning/Head of National Development Planning Agency, Suharso Monoarfa, said that the crisis has boosted digital transformation across all sectors in Indonesia. The government has invested in measures to support this transformation including the provision of optic fiber network throughout regencies/villages, known as the Palapa Ring project, the development of the National Data Center, and the development of the inter-government network, among others. The Indonesia Government has also pushed forward with the development of digital infrastructure for rural villages, also know as the Last-Mile Program, and is expected to complete by 2022 where it will deliver 4G technology to 12,500 villages in Indonesia.

Suharso added that digital acceleration is also occurring in other sectors such as healthcare, financial, and environmental. In the healthcare sector, digital transformation has made a great impact, especially with telemedicine, to  provide services to remote villages with limited access to healthcare. Digital technologies have also recently been applied to environmental matters, and have been used for mapping and analysis of forest fire hazards, topography, and others. “Digital transformation must benefit every person in the country,” emphasised Suharso.

In addition to a robust infrastructure, another factor that will be critical to accelerating digital transformation efforts is the availability of qualified technology talent. To date, Indonesia is seeing an estimated skills gap of nine million technology professionals to support digital transformation efforts. Chairman of the National ICT Council, Ilham Habibie, said the government must facilitate collaboration between the industry and universities as the centre of excellence, and  improve the quality of education provided by national ICT institutions to better prepare the next generation of technology professionals. He also highlighted the need to establish the position of a National Government Chief Information Officer (NGCIO) who will report directly to the President and CIOs of government institutions.

Digital Tourism

On the second day of ALE GovDay 2020: Reshaping Indonesia Connected Government, Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Angela Tanoesoedibjo, noted that digital tourism is a priority on the agenda for tourism development in Indonesia. During the crisis, digital experiences have become more relevant as direct interaction is limited.

“Strengthening Internet access in tourist destinations is on the top of our agenda to realise digital tourism in Indonesia. The ministry is currently developing an application that comprises safety and health information (CHSE) at tourist destinations. Visitors can use the application to find relevant information on a certain destination,” said Angela. The Ministry has elected Labuan Bajo as the pilot project for the application. Angela further added that the Ministry continuously supports digital platform innovation created by local talents to strengthen Indonesia’s tourism ecosystem.

The country’s tourism stakeholders can enjoy added-value through the use of technology and other digital platforms. “Through tourism apps, we can find out whether the destination is safe, clean, and if they fulfil healthcare standards. The information brings added-value to the tourism sites and can increase the number of visitors and revenue to the site,” said Novse Hardiman, Channel Sales Manager at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. He added that for future development, the government must also improve the use of IoT (Internet of Things) as it can be useful to other related sectors such as transportation, healthcare, and others.

Indonesia’s E-Government rank increases

The implementation of the Electronic-Based Government System (SPBE), as per Presidential Regulation No. 25/2018, has showed a positive outcome. The United Nations’ latest E-Government Development Index (EDGI) survey put Indonesia at the 88th position, up 19 ranks compared to the 2018 survey.

Damien Delard, VP Channel and Territory at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, APAC, shared that investment on e-government applications globally is improving by 20%. He explained that the development of smart cities is also improving particularly in the areas related to traffic efficiency, energy, and data-sharing for healthcare services, traffic reports, and others. Investments in smart cities have continued to rise. IDC’s forecasts stated that spending on smart cities initiatives is expected to reach $124 billion this year, up 18.9% compared to last year’s spending.

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise has various solutions to answer the challenges related to digital transformation in Indonesia. Minister Suharso said one of the challenges is public resistance towards change. Dirk Dumortier, ALE’s Head of Business Development, Smart City and Healthcare, APAC said, “Indonesia has a unique geography that is quite challenging. Thus, it requires the right technology to support the country’s digital transformation. This also requires the right solution tailored to each sub region.”

Damien added that ALE can address these challenges. For instance, the citizen relationship management feature provided through ALE’s  Rainbow^TM solution delivers an integrated communication platform for interactions between the Government and citizens. ALE also has extensive experience developing smart cities in many major economies in the world. Interestingly, Damien emphasized that ‘smart’ is not just about technology. “Technology is only a tool to achieve more human goals, such as strengthening democracy, increasing resident participation, boosting mobility, increasing trust, driving inclusiveness, and improving the environment.”

ALE GovDay 2020 was also supported by ALE partners, including AMD and Epson.

For more information, access the recordings of the ALE GovDay 2020: Reshaping Indonesia’s Connected Government sessions:

• Webinar Hari 1
• Webinar Hari 2