Indonesia discusses cooperation in IT sector with France

Jakarta, Oct 27 (Antara) - Communication and Informatics Minister Johnny G. Plate met with French Ambassador Olivier Chambard to discuss collaboration between both nations in information technology. "We welcome cooperation between Indonesia and France, as this would provide Indonesia with better IT infrastructure support in future, specifically in the utilization of telecommunication satellite," Plate noted in a press statement on Wednesday. "During the COVID-19 pandemic, this relationship is becoming stronger, and the French government shows a strong commitment to building together with Indonesia," he affirmed. The government is expediting digital transformation by continuing to build IT infrastructure in accordance with the Indonesia Digital Roadmap 2021-2024. Cooperation with another country is one of the ways to expedite the development of the infrastructure. Indonesia is building the SATRIA-1 multi-function satellite with a French company, Thales Alinea Space. The corporation has built five satellites for Indonesia, including the Telkomsat Satellite. SATRIA-1 will be launched into orbit in mid-2023 and is expected to become operational by the fourth quarter of 2023. Meanwhile, the Telkomsat Satellite will be launched in the first quarter of 2024. The SATRIA-1 and Telkomsat Satellite will provide bandwidth of 150GBps and 32GBps respectively. The ministry will soon review the SATRIA-1 project in France. According to Plate, the design for the satellite was already ready, and the process will move on to the production technical phase. In addition to satellites, the minister discussed the construction of the Government Data Centre that is currently in the final phase of planning. French Ambassador to Indonesia Olivier Chambard noted that the choice to go with the Thales Alinea Space in this project had encouraged the French government to also go in for expertise and technology transfer and not merely economic cooperation. According to Chambard, the French government is also committed to cooperating in other fields, such as in developing the Government Central Data.