Internet Portrait in Sarolangun District

In today's modern era, internet access is an important requirement to support daily life.

From the internet, we can get information related to current events, can greet each other even though the distance is between Sabang and Merauke, also we only need to click to meet our needs and lifestyle. To access the internet, we need a device that can access the internet.

Based on Susenas 2021 data, the percentage of household members in Sarolangun Regency for the last three months aged 5 years and over who use cellular phones (HP)/wireless or computers (PCs/desktops, laptops/notebooks, and tablets) is 77.89 percent. . This shows that the people of Sarolangun are generally able to use gadgets. Unfortunately, there are still many residents of Sarolangun who do not access the internet.

Based on the same data, the percentage of household members for the last three months aged 5 years and over who accessed the internet (including Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Whatsapp, etc.) was only 48.24 percent. There are still many men and women who have not accessed the internet, where only 48.68 percent for men and 42.80 percent for women have access to the internet. When viewed from the level of education, only 38.14 percent of people with low education (SD and below) access the internet.

When viewed from income, someone with low income (the bottom 40 percent of the expenditure quintile) only 36.03 percent access the internet. Low internet access is a problem. In fact, having internet access will contribute to the Indonesian economy because the internet itself is predicted to be the key to economic growth.

In addition to contributing to the economy, internet access also contributes to the development of human resources where Indonesia itself is expected to face a demographic bonus in 2030. The low internet access in Sarolangun can be caused by several things. One of them is uneven development. Sarolangun Regency itself has an area of ​​6,174 square kilometers with a population of 290,047 people based on the 2020 Population Census.

The distribution of the population is also uneven, where the population of Sarolangun concentrates in the Sarolangun and Singkut sub-districts. In fact, the development itself is usually focused on crowded places. In this crowded place, in general, many facilities are available, including easy internet access.

In addition, if we open the Open Signal application (an application to check the presence of a signal), it is seen that the internet signal is only available in crowded places in Sarolangun.

Compare this with Jambi City, where many areas have internet signal available. Therefore, in order to increase internet access, local governments need to accelerate and equitable development so that internet access can be reached to remote areas. In addition, the provision of free internet access in public service areas, such as hospitals, village offices, and terminals can improve public internet access. (Jambi/BPS data of Sarolangun Regency)