Almost half of all internet users in Indonesia access the internet via their mobile phones and the number of users is expected to increase. According to the research by Nielsen, the increase in the purchase of mobile phones with internet features will occur within the next 12 months.
Nielsen’s research result shows that 48 percent of internet users in Indonesia use mobile phones to access the internet. This makes Indonesia the largest market that relies on the internet in the eyes of ASEAN. This trend will continue with 53 percent of internet users in Indonesia using mobile phones to access the internet and 30 percent users using tablets within 12 months.
According to Irawati Pratignyo, Managing Director of Nielsen Media division in Indonesia, ” Internet-capable handheld devices, such as mobile phones and tablets, offer easy access to the Internet for many Indonesians without having to rely on the availability of high-speed broadband services at their home. All indications suggest certain and significant growth of Internet access using mobile phones and other handheld devices over the next 12 months and beyond”
What distinguishes Indonesia from other ASEAN countries is that, for the majority of Indonesian internet users (66%), Internet cafes are the most popular location to access the Internet, which is in contrast to the majority of ASEAN markets which mostly access the internet from home (67%). Most Indonesian digital consumers (46%) also access the Internet from portable internet devices like mobile phones or tablets.
“The location where consumers access the internet reflects their internet connection speed on home computers,” stated Irawati. The harder it is to get the internet connection at home the more likely it is for people to look for the internet connection somewhere else. In Singapore, the availability of a good Internet infrastructure has facilitated the citizens to use the internet at home. Besides, the internet services there are offered at reasonable prices.