Telephone Services

In Indonesia the telephone means a mobile phone. The standalone copper landline is now legacy infrastructure; what survives is a home line bundled into fibre broadband, chiefly IndiHome within the Telkom group. For nearly every foreign resident, staying connected starts with a prepaid mobile SIM.

Three network groups cover the country: Telkomsel, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, and XLSmart, the last formed by the April 2025 merger of XL Axiata and Smartfren. Telkomsel still has the widest reach beyond Java; eSIM is now supported on compatible phones across all three.

Two rules catch newcomers out before anything works. First, since 1 July 2026 prepaid SIMs are sold inactive and must be registered in person at an official outlet. A foreign national registers with a passport, plus a KITAS or KITAP if resident; no Indonesian ID number, family card, or facial scan is required of foreigners, and you may hold at most three numbers per operator. Second, a phone brought from abroad must have its IMEI registered through Customs, or it loses access to local networks within about two months of arrival.

For the practical detail — operators, SIM registration, prepaid data, IMEI rules and eSIM — see Mobile Telephone Services.

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