Introduction
With more than 275 million people, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world. Stretching across more than 17,000 islands, Indonesia presents immense logistical and linguistic diversity. This demographic and geographic reality makes digital radio not just a technological upgrade, but a strategic tool for national development, disaster preparedness and information resilience.
In August 2023 the Indonesian Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs (Komdigi)* officially issued the national digital radio policy. DRM was selected as a national standard for digital radio together with DAB+, as part of a complementary approach.
Policy and Regulatory Framework
In 2024, Ministerial Decrees No. 4 and No. 416 were issued allocating frequencies as follows:
DRM:
- HF Band: 2.3 – 26 MHz
- MW Band: 526.5 – 1606.5 kHz
- VHF Band II (FM): 87.0 – 108 MHz
- VHF Band III: 174 – 202 MHz
DAB+:
- VHF Band III: 202 – 230 MHz
A national Spectrum Masterplan defines 326 digital radio service areas, enabling flexible migration or simulcast. DRM is authorised for all broadcaster types, including public (RRI), local public, commercial, and community broadcasters. Komdigi is currently drafting a comprehensive digital licensing framework, but deployments have already begun under the existing policy.
Implementation and Transmission Roll-Out
Following years of successful DRM demonstrations by Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) – some now referenced by the ITU – digital broadcasting using DRM is already on air in several locations.
Five DRM transmitters are operational across several Indonesian islands at the following locations:
- Painan, Pelabuhan Ratu, Labuan Banten, Cilacap, Labuan Bajo
- 3 additional transmitters are under installation.
- Initial awareness campaigns — including radio distribution and public demonstrations have helped increase visibility and understanding of digital radio in this disaster-prone region.
- DRM-MW and shortwave transmitters are planned for disaster-prone regions (e.g. Ring of Fire).
All DRM transmitters are equipped with ContentServers supporting Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF), making DRM an integral part of Indonesia’s emergency communications infrastructure.
Indonesia’s DRM transmissions already demonstrate the platform’s rich content capabilities. Each DRM transmitter carries several audio programmes, often from RRI’s national and regional services. For example, the RRI Banten broadcast includes:
- Pro 1 RRI – regional content and local culture
- Pro 3 RRI – national news and talk
- A public information channel – dedicated to local bulletins and community updates
- Journaline – interactive text-based news and current affairs service
All programmes employ DRM features such as service logos, station labels, and text messages to enhance usability and ease navigation. The Journaline service delivers timely multilingual news, structured information, and interactive elements.
Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF)
Indonesia’s disaster profile—earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions—makes Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF) a mission-critical feature. DRM supports:
- Automatic override of regular programming
- Multilingual alerts (alarm audio and multilingual, detailed text)
- Wake-up signalling for devices that are switched off
- Targeted regional warnings with full CAP (Common Alerting Protocol) integration
In Yogyakarta, a DRM-equipped area near Mount Merapi, RRI recently distributed 148 digital radios (DRM and DAB+) to public institutions and citizens.
“This is the most concrete step we can take so that when people hear RRI, they don’t only think of everyday information, but also of extraordinary, life-saving information.”
– Beny Suharsono, Regional Secretary of Yogyakarta
The city’s DRM-EWF chain is already operational — tested and proven — and is being considered as a model for national deployment.
Receiver Development and Demonstrations
Indonesia is actively supporting receiver availability and public access through multiple initiatives:
- Public awareness is growing thanks to digital receiver distribution and live demonstrations.RRI handed out 148 free digital radios to local authorities and trusted listeners – a mix of DRM and DAB+ receivers – to promote digital radio use in disaster-prone areas.
- Additionally, multi-standard receivers (DRM, DAB+, analogue) were successfully demonstrated in June 2025. The receivers delivered stable performance and are considered close to market-ready, paving the way for commercial availability.
- These demonstrations, conducted in real urban environments such as Yogyakarta, confirmed stable reception and clear audio across all modes without operational issues.
- The multi-standard receiver module, the first of its kind globally, provides a clear path to manufacture affordable composite radios suitable for countries adopting both DRM and DAB+.
- Komdigi’s receiver policy foresees mandatory support for DRM in the FM band on smartphones, building on the existing FM tuner chips widely available in mobile phones.
Indonesia’s DRM adoption strategy is broadly applicable to other large, diverse, and disaster-prone nations. Key success ingredients include:
- Clear frequency planning across MW, FM and VHF
- Reuse of existing infrastructure, especially FM sites
- Emergency Warning Functionality integrated with public agencies
- Multi-standard receiver strategy reducing consumer confusion
- Progressive public rollout with engagement of local authorities and broadcasters
Conclusion
Indonesia is now entering the rollout phase of digital radio – with policy, transmitters, emergency systems, and public engagement all moving in sync. DRM is already on air, saving lives, and transforming broadcast access. Indonesia offers a convincing and replicable model for others seeking reliable, energy-efficient, and inclusive digital broadcasting.
DRM in Indonesia is a real-world success story. It’s digital radio in action — serving people, protecting lives, and leading the way in Asia.
* Formerly known as Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informatika (Kominfo) — or Ministry of Communications and Informatics (MCI) in English — the ministry was recently renamed to Kementerian Komunikasi dan Digital (Komdigi), now translated as Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs (MCDA).
