State-owned railway operator Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) plans to offer free Wi-Fi service on all of its commuter and long-distance trains this year, The Jakarta Post reported.

KAI president director Edi Sukmoro said it is holding discussions with the Ministry of State Owned Enterprises and other government agencies with a view to confirming when it can launch the free unlimited internet service. The move would address a common complaint from rail passengers regarding a lack of connectivity at stations and on trains.

The train operator in 2011 started working with Indosat Mega Media to provide free Wi-Fi at seven train stations in Jakarta and other cities on Java, as well as in executive-class cars between the cities, the newspaper said.

Indonesia, a country of 259 million people, has a SIM penetration of 131 per cent, but only 55 per cent of mobile subscribers are on mobile internet plans and just 23 per cent have 4G service, end-2017 figures from GSMA Intelligence showed.