Slow start to Indonesia’s govt-sanctioned OTT drive

• Plan to encourage local app creation sees 3 accepted after 3mths
• Industry association will support and promote the apps

A NATIONAL plan by the Government and telecommunications operators in Indonesia to stave off a ‘foreign invasion’ by actively encouraging local over-the-top (OTT) apps has got off to a slow start, with the three apps having been approved only after three months.
 
Last December, the Association of Telecommunication Operators (ATSI) invited local startups to register their OTT services, after which three such services would be identified and earmarked for support by the association.
 
Only five such applications were received. “We can’t deny that it took longer than we expected,” ATSI chairman Alexander Rusli told a media conference in Jakarta last week.
 
But “this is just the beginning of government and industry support to push these services,” he added.
 
The three that have been chosen are:
 

• Qlue allows its 200,000 users to alert local governments and municipalities about problems in the city. Chief executive officer (CEO) and founder Rama Raditya told Digital News Asia (DNA) that the app would support smart city programmes.

• Catfiz Messenger is a chat app that supports video streaming, has already has 100,000 active users. CEO Muhammad Arfan said it does not compete with big players such as WhatsApp because he believes that Catfiz will create its own user base.

• Finally, Sebangsa is a social media app that focuses on community development, and now has 30,000 users. CEO Enda Nasution is aiming for 30 million users by the end of the year.

Now that the apps have been chosen, operators will promote the services with broadcast messages, logo placements, and more, said Alex.
 
ATSI is targeting to boost the user base of these three providers to 20-30 million in six months to a year.
 
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Local OTT push Indonesia part of digital economy vision 

Indonesia’s vision: 1,000 startups by 2020
 
Qlue connects people to bureaucrats for a better Jakarta
 
 
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