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Communication and Information Minister of Indonesia Johnny G. Plate reviewed the progress of construction of the Telecommunication Equipment Testing Center (BBPPT) in Tapos, Depok, West Java. The Rp135 billion project, which is being developed by state-owned company PT PP (Persero), will commence operations in the first quarter of 2023.

He inspected a number of buildings and rooms where the construction process has reached 96 percent completion. He said that the center was built on 2.2 hectares of land, with the buildings covering 11,953 square meters of land. It comprises several buildings, including offices, laboratories, mess halls and multi-purpose areas, warehouses, places of worship, guard posts, utilities, and hallways. “Today, I specifically came to inspect the construction of the Telecommunications Equipment Testing Center or BBPPT of the Communication and Information Ministry,” the minister said on the sidelines of his review. 

The center is one of the most sophisticated in Asia, boasting six laboratories, he informed.

• The first is an Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Laboratory, which can be used to ensure the safety of electromagnetic fields between devices.
• The second is a Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) Laboratory for testing the radiation levels of devices to ensure human health. "So the devices used, including cellphones, headsets, must be tested for their feasibility to provide protection (as per) consumer rights," he stated.
• The third is an Electrical Safety Laboratory to ensure the electrical safety of devices so they do not flout the proper specifications.
• The fourth is a Laser and Optics Laboratory to check the level of laser radiation to ensure the safety of the human eye.
• The fifth is a Calibration Laboratory to ensure the metrological traceability of measuring instruments and support the maintenance of monitoring equipment.
• The last is a Radio Laboratory to prevent interference between device users and ensure the quality of the equipment is in accordance with technical regulations.

The minister said that the laboratories will be equipped with sophisticated equipment. In the early stages, they will use existing equipment owned by the ministry's center in Bekasi, West Java. "We will move the existing equipment of the ministry's center in Bekasi, and then be equipped with new modern equipment —which we hope within three months can all be installed here," he informed. There will also be a chamber facility, which is still under construction and will be completed within the next 11 months. The facility will also be used as a testing ground for equipment.

"These equipment are in order to ensure a high level of testing services so that we no longer need to send devices abroad, but instead this can be used as a testing ground for devices from our neighboring countries, ASEAN for example," he added. He said that the center is being constructed to meet at least three objectives. 

• The first objective is to protect human health from the risk of disruptive devices, he informed.
• Second, the center will function as a gateway for domestic industries to penetrate the global market. Third, it will perform spectrum management to prevent interference between device users and improve user experience.

He further said that the facility would have a profound impact on the industry, telecommunications industry, the broadcasting industry, as well as the ship and aircraft industries. It is hoped that the center will not merely be a testing center, but will also become a center for obtaining revenue because there would be an imposition of tariffs or fees for services to the industry, he added.

"Later there will be tariffs and charges for services to the industry, for example, the phones we use must pass testing in all aspects and it's not free. The industry pays so that when people use them, (the devices) will truly meet the eligibility standards," he informed.