Indonesia-based Indosat Ooredoo became the second operator in the country to launch 5G service, lighting its network in the city of Surakarta and planning to expand the rollout to other major cities including Jakarta, Surabaya and Makassar.

The operator received government approval in early June after passing feasibility tests. It is using 1.8GHz spectrum as it didn’t acquire 2.3GHz in an auction conducted in April in which rivals Telkomsel and Smartfren were awarded 20MHz and 10MHz respectively.

Indosat president director and CEO Ahmad Al-Neama used a statement to explain the commercial launch is part of a partnership with the Surakarta Municipality to support its economic recovery, which includes collaboration with micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises on digital talent education and smart city development.

“We believe 5G technology will help accelerate the digital transformation of Indonesian society and stimulate innovation in businesses across all industries.”

A month ago, Telkomsel was the first in the country to roll out commercial 5G service, targeting nine cities including Jakarta and Denpasar using 2.3GHz spectrum.

XL Axiata and Smartfren also applied for 5G licences.