Link Net, an internet service provider operating under Lippo Group subsidiary First Media, and Japanese telecommunications provider SoftBank Corp have signed a partnership agreement to develop and deploy the internet of things, or IoT, in Link Net’s businesses in real estate, health care and mobile ecosystems in Indonesia.
Link Net chief executive Marlo Budiman and Hidebumi Kitahara, vice president for global business strategy at SoftBank, signed the agreement during a ceremony at Aryaduta Hotel in Central Jakarta on June 29.
“We are pleased to collaborate with SoftBank in the initial phase of the initiative involving the deployment of IoT devices, along with video analytics for homes, commercial buildings, malls, offices, streets and other areas at our various property developments,” Marlo said in a statement on Thursday (05/07).
The collaboration will see the deployment of an IoT system in the Lippo Group’s shopping malls and Siloam hospitals, as well as at Meikarta, the company’s $21 billion megaproject in Cikarang, West Java.
Lippo has billed Meikarta as the Shenzhen of Indonesia, a tech and manufacturing city located in the southern part of mainland China, near Hong Kong.
Marlo said the development of IoT in Indonesia is in line with the country’s vision of becoming the largest digital economy in Southeast Asia.
“The global mobile industry is now entering the era of 5G, with IoT becoming the central focal point of innovation. This partnership with Link Net shows our strong commitment to further boost technological innovation in the global market and further advance the development of information and communications technology in Indonesia,” Kitahara said.
The partnership was initiated during a meeting between Lippo Group deputy chairman James Riady, Lippo Group director John Riady and directors of the SoftBank Group in Tokyo during May this year.
SoftBank is a subsidiary of the SoftBank Group, a multinational Japanese conglomerate that focuses on information technology, which includes investments in numerous startups and tech conglomerates, such as China’s Alibaba and Malaysian ride-hailing service Grab.
In addition to internet connectivity and fixed-line communication services, SoftBank is also expanding its business into robotics, financial technology and cloud security systems.
