Ranked 118th in the World: An Honest Look at Indonesia's Internet in 2026

Let's start with a fact that stings a little.

Indonesia has more than 230 million internet users. One of the highest numbers in the world. But when it comes to speed? We're sitting around rank 114 to 118 globally for fixed broadband, depending on which month you're looking at. And within Southeast Asia, we're 9th out of 10 countries.

Behind Laos. Behind Cambodia.

Countries with significantly smaller infrastructure than ours.

This isn't a piece written to bash anyone or be dramatic about it. It's just an honest conversation about where Indonesia's internet actually stands right now, where it's headed, and what's really going on.

What Do the Numbers Actually Look Like?

Based on Speedtest Global Index data from Ookla, Indonesia's average fixed broadband speed as of March 2026 sits at around 45.91 Mbps. A slight improvement from December 2025, which was only 44.38 Mbps.

Sounds decent, but hold on. Here's how that compares to the rest of Southeast Asia:

We beat Myanmar. That's the only consolation we can take from this ASEAN comparison.

Vietnam is a country where internet prices are even cheaper than ours, has speeds six times faster than us. Cambodia, which many assume is less developed, has already crossed the 100 Mbps mark.

What Does the Government's Own Target Say?

To be fair, the government hasn't been quiet about this. Through the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi), Indonesia's Strategic Plan for 2025–2029 sets a target for fixed broadband speeds to reach 45 to 64 Mbps in 2026.

Minister Meutya Hafid also mentioned a mobile broadband target of 80 Mbps for 2026, up from 63.51 Mbps achieved in 2025. For fixed broadband, the average speed across provincial capitals was recorded at 51.84 Mbps.

But two things are worth noting here.

First, the government's numbers and Speedtest's numbers are different. The government measures speeds in provincial capitals, where infrastructure is naturally better. Speedtest measures the national average, including areas where connectivity is still far from ideal.

Second, the actual long-term target is 100 Mbps. And right now, we're only halfway there.

Why Is Our Internet Still This Slow?

This isn't a simple question with a simple answer. It's not one party's fault — it's a combination of factors that feed into each other.

The geography is no joke

Indonesia spans more than 17,000 islands. Laying fiber optic cables across the entire country is neither easy nor cheap. Compare that to Singapore, a compact city-state that can be covered with solid infrastructure in a relatively short time.

Indonesia's fiber optic network for fixed broadband currently covers 72.22 percent of districts, or around 5,253 sub-districts. The government is targeting 82 percent coverage by 2026. That still leaves nearly 20 percent of sub-districts with no fiber infrastructure at all.

The price is cheap — but there's a trade-off

According to the Global Broadband Price League 2026 report, Indonesia ranks 12th globally and 2nd in Southeast Asia for the cheapest fixed broadband internet. The average price sits at around USD 10.66, or roughly IDR 185,000 per month.

Cheap prices are great for access. But they also mean thinner margins for ISPs to invest in infrastructure. You can't expect Vietnam-level speeds when prices are significantly lower than Vietnam's.

Most users are still on slower packages

Major ISPs like Biznet and MyRepublic actually already have infrastructure capable of delivering hundreds of Mbps. Biznet claims its technology supports speeds up to 1 Gbps, and delivering 400 to 500 Mbps is, in their words, easy. But most subscribers are still on 30 to 50 Mbps packages, because needs and purchasing power vary widely across the country.

Is There Any Good News?

Yes — and it's worth acknowledging too.

The trend is moving in the right direction, even if slowly. In early 2026, Indonesia climbed four places in the fixed broadband category to 114th out of 152 countries, with an average speed of 44.62 Mbps. For mobile broadband, Indonesia has even started pulling ahead of the Philippines and Laos.

4G network penetration has reached 98.95 percent of Indonesia's population, and 5G coverage has expanded to 6.33 percent of residential areas, surpassing the National Medium-Term Development Plan target of 4.4 percent.

The Kampung Internet program, launched in 2025, is also being expanded , from 1,194 locations toward a target of 2,194 locations in 2026. This matters because a big reason for Indonesia's low national average is the many remote areas that still lack decent infrastructure.

And on the ISP side, multiple providers have stated they are ready to meet the government's 45 to 64 Mbps target, with infrastructure they claim can already support speeds far beyond that.

So Where Are We Headed?

The 100 Mbps target isn't an impossible dream. Vietnam is already there. Cambodia is almost there. Thailand passed it a while ago.

But getting there requires several things moving at the same time: faster fiber rollout to underserved areas, more people upgrading to higher-speed packages, and regulations that encourage long-term infrastructure investment.

The encouraging part is that all sides, the government, ISPs, and the broader industry, seem to be aware that this is a priority. The real question is how fast the execution actually moves.

A Quick Note If You're Wondering About Your Own Connection

If your home internet feels slow, try running a speed test at Speedtest.net, check whether what you're actually getting matches the package you're paying for. If it's significantly lower, that's absolutely worth following up with your ISP.

And if you genuinely need faster speeds for remote work, video calls, or gaming, it might be worth upgrading your plan. Given that Indonesia has some of the cheapest internet prices in Southeast Asia, the price difference between tiers is often smaller than people expect.