Post and Telecommunications Service Day in Indonesia Date in the current year: September 27, 2024

The history of postal and telecommunications services in Indonesia dates back to the colonial era. The first post office was opened in Batavia (present-day Jakarta) in 1746. The first telegraph line, connecting Batavia (Jakarta) and Buitenzorg (Bogor), was inaugurated by the Dutch Colonial Government in 1856. Private telephony companies in the Dutch East Indies began providing their services in 1882, operating under a 25-year government license.

In 1906, the Dutch Colonial Government founded Posts Telegraafend Telefoon Diensts (PTT), a unified government agency that took over all postal and telegraph services in Indonesia. During the Japanese occupation of Indonesia, the Japanese military took control of the PTT.

Shortly after Japan’s surrender, Indonesian nationalists declared Indonesia’s independence. On September 27, 1945, roughly a month after the beginning of the Indonesian Revolution, they took over the PTT headquarters in Bandung and seized control over all communication channels in the country. The anniversary of this takeover is now celebrated in Indonesia as Post and Telecommunications Service Day.

After the end of the Indonesian Revolution and the official recognition of the country’s independence in 1949, the Indonesian Government nationalized the PTT. In 1961, it was converted from a government agency into a state-owned company. Four years later, the government split the Postal and Telecommunications Service Company into two separate companies: the postal service named PN Pos Giro and the telecommunication service named PN Telekomunikasi.

In 1995, PN Pos Giro was transformed into Pos Indonesia — the present-day Indonesian postal service. It is a state-owned company providing postal and logistics services. The company has eleven regional divisions and operates 3,700 post offices throughout the country.

PN Telekomunikasi, in turn, was further split into two state-owned companies in 1974: Perumtel, providing domestic and international telecommunications services, and PT INTI, responsible for manufacturing telecom equipment. Finally, the newly established PT Indosat took over international telecommunications in 1980.

In 1991, Perumtel became a state-owned limited liability company and received its current name, PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia or Telkom. Four years later, the company was privatized. However, the government still owes approximately 51% of its shares and holds the golden share, which gives it the right of decisive vote.

It should be noted that neither Pos Indonesia nor Telkom consider Post and Telecommunications Service Day their foundation anniversary. Pos Indonesia observes its anniversary on August 26 to commemorate the opening of the first post office, while Telkom celebrates its anniversary on July 6 to commemorate the split of postal and telecommunications services in 1965.