Falling smartphone prices and improved 4G coverage in Indonesia helped boost smartphone penetration by 11 percentage points to 47 per cent at the end of June.

According to GSMA Intelligence, the country’s smartphone penetration was 36 per cent a year ago and 25 per cent in the middle of 2014.

Chinese and local manufacturers are offering low-cost 4G models for as little as IDR1 million ($76), the Jakarta Post reported.

Market leader Telkomsel, with a 44 per cent market share, saw smartphone penetration jump 10 points to 43 per cent over the past year, according to GSMA Intelligence. Just 3.75 per cent of its 157 million mobile users are on 4G plans.

Number two Indosat, with nearly 80 million mobile connections, also had a 10-point gain in smartphone penetration to 45 per cent over the same period.

Number four XL Axiata experienced the fastest growth, with smartphone penetration rising from 36 per cent in Q2 2015 to 52 per cent last quarter, while 3 Indonesia, the country’s third largest player, had a 13-point gain to 55 per cent.

Indonesia, the third most populous country in Asia with 260 million people, has 340 million mobile connections. Its mobile broadband penetration rose 27 per cent last year to 37 per cent.