Floods Paralyze 1,294 Telecommunication Sites in North Sumatra–Aceh,

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - A total of 495 cellular telecommunications transmission facilities in North Sumatra are non-operational due to floods and landslides that struck Tapanuli Tengah, Tapanuli Selatan, and the city of Sibolga on Wednesday (26/11/2025). In Aceh Province, the disaster on the same day also caused 799 sites to go offline. Cellular operators are attempting to carry out recovery efforts, but are facing obstacles in accessing the affected locations.

In an official statement from the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) on Thursday (27/11/2025), it was mentioned that there are 34,660 telecommunication transmitter sites in North Sumatra, of which 495 are non-functional due to flooding. In Aceh, with the same number of sites, 799 sites have been affected. The disruptions are primarily caused by the interruption of PLN's electricity supply, which has halted transmission to those sites.

Currently, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs stated that mobile telecommunications operators are working to restore the affected sites. They plan to use generators as an alternative power source until electricity returns to normal.

"However, they themselves faced obstacles. Access roads to the site were affected by flooding, hampering generator mobilization," wrote the Ministry of Communication and Digital Technology.

As a temporary solution, the Ministry of Communication and Digital claims that cellular telecommunications operators are routing (the process of selecting the best path for transmitting signals) to several points that are still serviceable. Verification is currently underway for further verification.

The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, through the Directorate of Digital Infrastructure Control, continues to monitor the quality of telecommunications services following the occurrence of floods and landslides. The Ministry collaborates with the Class I Medan Radio Frequency Spectrum Monitoring Center to address any telecommunications disruptions.

"We are working to ensure that telecommunications services continue to operate," wrote the Ministry of Communication and Digital.

The General Manager of Region Network Operations & Productivity Sumbagut Telkomsel, Nurdianto, stated during a confirmation on Thursday that Telkomsel is also concerned about the natural disasters affecting several areas in North Sumatra. Telkomsel apologizes to customers for the decline in the quality of telecommunications networks in the region.

He confirmed that several points of the telecommunications network were affected by the disaster as well as massive power outages. Telkomsel continues to coordinate with various parties to expedite the recovery of the network.

When contacted separately, Agung Harsoyo, a lecturer at the School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics at the Bandung Institute of Technology, expressed the opinion that in the midst of a natural disaster situation, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology should promptly consolidate telecommunications satellite operators. The aim is to ensure that telecommunications services continue to operate and that communication for disaster management is not hindered.

"In practice around the world, when a natural disaster occurs and mobile telecommunications services are down, the only quick and functional communication option is satellite telecommunications," Agung stated.

According to him, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology can direct the Telecommunication and Information Accessibility Agency (Bakti) first, as Bakti manages the state-owned multifunction satellite Satria-1.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Technology is coordinating with other private satellite operators, such as Telkom. He recommended prioritizing domestic private satellite operators.

"Cellular services are the core of mobile telecommunications operators' business. They usually rush to deploy services when they find out that their infrastructure has been damaged or is down due to a disaster. If communication services have not yet recovered, it is the state's duty to coordinate," said Agung.