Kemkomdigi Bans Telcos from Forfeiting Customers’ Unused Internet Data

JAKARTA, Jakartaweekly.com — The government has issued a policy prohibiting telecommunications operators from forfeiting customers’ unused prepaid internet data that has already been paid for. The policy is stipulated in a Circular Letter issued by the Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs (SE Menkomdigi), as a follow-up to a ruling by the Constitutional Court (MK).

Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid said the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Kemkomdigi) has instructed cellular operators not to eliminate customers’ unused paid-for internet data under Circular Letter No. 4/2026 on the Obligation to Provide Service Options and Protect Unused Data Allowances.

She said the circular also prohibits operators from imposing additional fees to retain or use customers’ remaining data allowances.

According to Meutya, the circular was issued to provide legal certainty and to follow up on Constitutional Court Decision No. 273/PUU-XXIII/2025, dated July 23, 2026.

“Data that customers have already paid for is their right. Unused data cannot simply expire, and operators may not impose additional fees to retain that remaining data,” Meutya said in Jakarta recently.

She said the policy is intended to ensure that customers receive fair value from the telecommunications services they have paid for.

The government, she added, has received numerous complaints from the public regarding operators’ alleged failure to fully comply with the Constitutional Court’s ruling, which stipulates that customers’ unused internet data may not be unilaterally forfeited when a package’s validity period ends.

“That is why we issued this circular, to ensure that operators comply with Indonesia’s legal framework,” she said.

In addition to protecting unused data allowances, Kemkomdigi requires operators to provide service options that allow customers to choose arrangements that suit their individual needs.

The forms of unused-data protection may include data accumulation or rollover, non-rollover options, validity-period extensions, transfer of benefits, compensation, refunds, or other forms of protection that do not disadvantage customers.

Meutya emphasized that the policy represents an important shift in the approach to telecommunications services: customers, rather than operators, should determine which service options best suit their needs.

“Previously, service options were largely determined by operators. Now, we are ensuring that customers have choices. Customers have the right to select services that match their needs and usage patterns, rather than having operators make that choice for them,” Meutya said.

She added that Kemkomdigi also requires operators to provide customers with clear education and information regarding prices, data volumes, validity periods, usage segments, fair-use provisions, service expiration, and the treatment of unused data.

Such information, she said, must be presented in simple, clear, and easy-to-understand language so customers can fully understand their rights and the service options available to them.

Operators are also required to provide integrated monitoring channels to make it easier for customers to check their usage and remaining data allowances under the services they have selected.

Meutya said Kemkomdigi has set September 28, 2026, as the deadline for operators to submit reports on their compliance with these obligations. Operators are also required to submit periodic progress reports to Kemkomdigi once a month.

The reports will form part of Kemkomdigi’s monitoring mechanism to assess operators’ compliance with regulations concerning the protection of unused data allowances and the provision of service choices for customers.

Kemkomdigi will subsequently conduct regular monitoring of operators’ implementation of these obligations.