JAKARTA (ANN/THE JAKARTA POST) – Following the launch of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service for Indonesia’s health sector, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has called upon the tech mogul to expand his investment footprint in the country.
The appeal came during a meeting between Jokowi and Musk on Monday, held alongside the 10th World Water Forum in Bali.
Musk, a keynote speaker at the event, emphasised the significance of water management during his address.
In the meeting, Jokowi suggested that Musk invest more in Indonesia through the billionaire’s aerospace firm SpaceX, carmaker Tesla and tunnel construction company The Boring Company.
“Mr Musk, Indonesia is currently undergoing a nationwide digital transformation. It will open a lot of investment opportunities in infrastructure, technology, the digital economy and digital government,” Jokowi said, as quoted from a press release from the Indonesian Presidential Secretariat.
Jokowi also said that he hoped that Starlink, a wholly owned subsidiary of SpaceX, could work with local internet providers to offer fast and affordable internet services across the sprawling archipelago.
Musk said in the meeting that he was honoured to participate in the World Water Forum saying that he hoped the recently launched Starlink could provide internet connectivity to support Indonesia’s healthcare and education sectors, according to the press release from Jokowi’s office.
But it remains unclear whether or not Musk responded to Jokowi’s requests. Previously, when asked by journalists during the launch of Starlink in Bali on Sunday about whether he planned to also invest in Indonesia’s electric vehicle (EV) industry, Musk said he was focused on Starlink first.
“We are focusing this event on Starlink and the benefits that connectivity brings to remote islands,” he said, emphasising “the importance of internet connectivity, how much of that can be a lifesaver.”
Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said that he had made an offer to Musk for SpaceX to launch its rockets from Biak, Papua, where the government plans to build the country’s first space station.
According to Luhut, his offer was made on Sunday, shortly after he welcomed Musk at the airport when he landed in Bali.
The government has been trying for years to lure Tesla to build manufacturing plants related to EVs as the government wants to develop its EV sector using the country’s rich nickel resources.
