Elon Musk-style knee capital investment, Starlink makes Telkomsel CS burn their beards

Elon Musk-style knee capital investment, Starlink makes Telkomsel CS burn their beards

The investment made by Elon Musk is only knee capital, aka without a single rupiah but he can freely sell his products in Indonesia. 

Illustration of a Starlink device. The investment made by Elon Musk is only knee capital, aka without a penny but he can freely sell his products in Indonesia. 

- Starlink, the satellite-based internet company owned by Elon Musk, which has officially entered Indonesia, has reportedly made mobile telecommunications industry operators such as Telkomsel, Indosat and XL Axiata nervous. 

The reason is, the investment made by Elon Musk is only knee capital, meaning he doesn't have a penny but he can freely sell his products in Indonesia. 

This knee capital investment was because Elon Musk was willing to attend the World Water Forum (WWF) event in Bali some time ago together with President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), as well as inaugurating the operation of Starlink for a number of health facilities/Puskesmas. This condition has forced a number of players such as Telkomsel, Indosat and XL Axiata to bite the bullet considering that the real investment they have made is not small. 

Based on data, the operational costs of the three main cellular players in Indonesia reach trillions of rupiah each year. 

Telkomsel, which is a subsidiary of PT Telkom Indonesia Tbk, is recorded to incur the largest operational costs, reaching IDR 39.71 trillion, then Indosat has to dig into IDR 21.08 trillion for their operations every year, and then XL Axiata incurs the least costs. operational amounting to IDR 20.35 trillion. 

Deputy Minister of Communication and Information (Kominfo) Nezar Patria admitted that he would continue to monitor Elon Musk's Starlink internet service, which has just officially entered Indonesia. "Currently we see it starting to operate, and we are still monitoring it," said the Deputy Minister of Communication and Information when met at Paramadina University, Jakarta, Friday (31/5/2024). 

Nezar admits that Starlink is actually more suitable in the leading, outermost and underdeveloped regions, aka the 3T region. However, he did not deny that this satellite-based internet service could also be used by residents in non-3T areas. Nezar also emphasized that the Government will continue to be fair in responding to Starlink, especially in competing with existing operators in the telecommunications market. 

"We are trying to guarantee a fair playing field for everyone. So there is no golden child for Starlink," he continued. Nezar explained that Starlink can reach all regions in Indonesia because it is satellite-based. However, in Indonesia, internet providers also provide services based on BTS towers and fiber optics. 

Therefore, each internet provider has advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, he frees people to choose the option that suits their needs, whether it's Starlink or an existing operator. 

Nezar said, if people want faster internet, they can choose fiber optic-based internet services. 

On the other hand, if residents are in remote areas, or are sailing in the middle of the sea, they can choose Starlink to get an internet connection. "So these are just options for the community and the more options I think the better it will be for our connectivity," he explained. 

Investasi Modal Dengkul ala Elon Musk, Starlink Buat Telkomsel Cs Kebakaran Jenggot

Investasi yang dilakukan Elon Musk hanya modal dengkul alias tanpa uang serupiah pun tapi dengan bebas bisa menjual produknya di Tanah Air.

Ilustrasi perangkat Starlink. Investasi yang dilakukan Elon Musk hanya modal dengkul alias tanpa uang sepeserpeun tapi dengan bebas bisa menjual produknya di Tanah Air.

- Starlink, perusahaan internet berbasis satelit milik Elon Musk yang telah resmi masuk Indonesia dikabarkan membuat para operator industri telekomunikasi seluler seperti Telkomsel, Indosat, dan XL Axiata ketar-ketir.

Pasalnya, investasi yang dilakukan Elon Musk hanya modal dengkul alias tanpa uang sepeserpun tapi dengan bebas bisa menjual produknya di Tanah Air.

Investasi modal dengkul ini dikarenakan Elon Musk bersedia hadir di acara World Water Forum (WWF) di Bali beberapa waktu lalu bersama dengan Presiden Joko Widodo (Jokowi), sekaligus meresmikan pengoperasian Starlink untuk sejumlah fasilitas kesehatan/Puskesmas. Kondisi ini membuat sejumlah pemain seperti Telkomsel, Indosat dan XL Axiata harus gigit jari mengingat investasi real yang telah mereka lakukan tak kecil.

Berdasarkan data, biaya operasional tiga pemain utama selular itu di Indonesia mencapai triliunan rupiah setiap tahunnya.

Telkomsel yang merupakan anak usaha PT Telkom Indonesia Tbk tercatat mengeluarkan biaya operasional paling besar yakni mencapai Rp39,71 triliun, kemudian Indosat harus merogoh kocek sedalam Rp21,08 triliun untuk operasional mereka setiap tahun, dan lalu XL Axiata mengeluarkan sedikitnya biaya operasional sebesar Rp20,35 triliun.

Wakil Menteri Komunikasi dan Informatika (Kominfo) Nezar Patria mengaku bakal terus memantau layanan internet Starlink milik Elon Musk yang baru saja resmi masuk Indonesia.

"Saat ini kami lihat ya mulai beroperasi, dan kami masih terus memonitor lah," kata Wamenkominfo saat ditemui di Universitas Paramadina, Jakarta, Jumat (31/5/2024).

Nezar mengakui kalau Starlink sebenarnya lebih cocok di wilayah terdepan, terluar, dan tertinggal alias wilayah 3T. Namun ia tak menampik kalau layanan internet berbasis satelit ini juga bisa digunakan warga di wilayah non 3T. Nezar turut menegaskan kalau Pemerintah akan terus adil dalam menyikapi Starlink, khususnya dalam bersaing dengan para operator yang sudah ada di pasar telekomunikasi.

"Kami coba jamin adalah fair playing field buat semua ya. Jadi enggak ada anak emas buat Starlink," lanjutnya. Nezar memaparkan kalau Starlink bisa menjangkau semua wilayah di Indonesia karena berbasis satelit. Namun di Indonesia, penyelenggara internet juga menyediakan layanan berbasis menara BTS hingga fiber optik.

Maka dari itu, masing-masing penyelenggara internet memiliki keunggulan dan kelebihan.

Makanya, ia membebaskan masyarakat untuk memilih opsi yang sesuai kebutuhan, entah itu Starlink ataupun operator yang sudah ada.

Nezar menyebut, apabila masyarakat ingin internet lebih cepat, maka bisa memilih layanan internet berbasis fiber optik.

Sebaliknya, apabila warga berada di daerah terpencil, atau sedang berlayar di tengah laut, maka bisa memilih Starlink untuk mendapatkan koneksi internet.

"Jadi ini adalah opsi-opsi buat masyarakat aja dan semakin banyak opsi ini saya kira semakin bagus untuk konektivitas kita," jelasnya.