Welcome to BASE21

THE INTERNET IS CONNECTING THE WORLD, and connecting us to our future. The Internet has made the growing of information technology (IT) became faster and faster. The Web-lifestyle has came closer to us, and changed our ways to work and communicate.

The Internet is an international web of interconnected government, education, and business computer networks-in essence, a network of networks. A person at a computer terminal or personal computer with the proper software communicates across the Internet by placing data in an Internet Protocol (IP) packet - an electronic envelope - and "addressing" the packet to a particular destination on the Internet. The information superhighway is an envisioned computer network that would allow high-speed transmission of data to and from every home, school, library, business, and so on. At its base, a superhighway depends on a network of high-speed fiber optic cables that carry thousands of times more data than do standard telephone lines.

Communications software on the intervening networks between the source and destination networks "read" the addresses on packets moving through the Internet and forward the packets toward their destinations. From a thousand or so networks in the mid-1980s, the Internet has grown to a 30,000 connected networks in 1994 with about 25 million people having access to it. Even the former CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates, was predicted that more than 400 milion people will surf on 4 billion web pages in this year!

Internet in Indonesia

The internet in Indonesia must jump several hurdles before the nation can join the new electronic economy in the future. These impediments include weak infrastructure, low user confidence, and inchoate public policy. However, several changes during the last year bode well for the future of the sector. The tiny number of internet users in Indonesia grew by 180 percent in 2000 and is predicted to triple in 2001.

Indonesia is slowly joining the information superhighway. The nation must not only bring the Internet to its vast rural population, but also bridge hundreds of islands. Vital educational, medical, and agricultural information could be disseminated from the urban core to remote destinations via Internet terminals in centralized locations. However, before the internet can have a meaningful impact, Indonesia must first overcome a weak infrastructure, inexperienced users, and the potential for over-regulation.

Currently only .6 percent of all Indonesians are logged-on, compared to 41.9 percent of the citizens in Singapore and 6.9 percent in Malaysia. In 2000, according to the Indonesian Association of Internet Service Providers, the number of internet users in Indonesia grew by 180 percent. By comparison, usage in Singapore and Malaysia increased by 115 and 90 percent, respectively.

The number of internet users in Indonesia is expected to more than triple in 2001 from approximately 1.2 million users to 4 million.

Warnets, Indonesia's version of the internet cafe, are a popular means of accessing the internet for those who cannot afford a computer or high telephone bills. A recent AC Nielson poll found that 52 percent of all users access the internet via warnets, followed by 32 percent at the work place, 28 percent at school, 9 percent at a friend's house, and only 6 percent from home. (Respondents could pick more than one answer). Warnets do not require a license. Due to the great success of the warnets, many telephone kiosks or wartels (cafes with public phone service) are adding internet components to their operations.

Internet for Rural People

The prospective internet users in Indonesia are farmers and small-medium enterprise actors in the rural area. Most of Indonesian people are lived in the rural area. That is why Indonesia was often called as one of biggest agricultural-country.

The problem is how to educate them to use Internet? It was not easy to find computer in the rural area, but we should get the best solution for that. We must do something to socialize that Internet access will able to provide necessary information for them. The Internet will tell them about latest price of coffee, how many tobacco needed in the world today. Disinformation practices will be avoided.

An idea for educating and empowering people in rural area, these days is being floated in West Sumatra, Indonesia. According to the project pioneer, in every "nagari" (a kind of rural area) required to be developed by an information system communications network which is getting online with global system. "Nagari" is a term in Sumatra West showing at potency of social-capital region in community.

The concept which want to be developed here is a network system development based on information technology connecting the centres of rural-business community so that enable formed their network of domestic, regional, national and international market.

This network is developing the community members in order to ready to compete in globalization era, by adopting information technology system as owned by international institutes.

To get maximal synergy between technology and community, ownership system of network shall be in form of co-operative institute. The network applies open consumer society cooperatives system, where the consumers are just owner of the service which enjoying of. This matter will grow most efficient effort cycle since buyer is also the owner: so that will enable to realize "everyday shopping in their own shops."

This system have to be supported by telecommunications network, financial network, commercial network, advocacy network and also the other resource networks such as research and development result, various newly innovating findings, market information, etc. In this case, the system is so-called "economic system network" has contribution to realize economics democatization faster.

Likely the very concrete idea of exploiting of Internet for this society requires to be supported, especially by government and internet corporates so that will create synergy: more internet access and the society feels its impact to improvement in economic fields.

Thereby, we can say, this is effective and most relevant opportunity for the country such as Indonesia, which is its resident mostly live in countryside with biggest livelihood in agricultural sector in using and getting benefit from Internet in the future.***