XLSMART Flags BTS Equipment Theft as Major Operational Challenge, Urges Vital National Object Status
The operator's network operations SVP said theft of BTS equipment is rising and disrupts connectivity, and XLSMART has pushed regulators for vital national object designation; one prosecuted case caused an estimated Rp5 billion loss.
Tony Hasurungan Sitanggang, senior vice president of network operations at XLSMART, said on 11 November in Mandalika that theft of base station equipment is increasingly common and that stolen devices are difficult to recover while disrupting connectivity. The operator has coordinated with the regulator and fellow carriers to push for telecommunications infrastructure to be designated a vital national object, with implementation handled by the communications ministry.
In a related prosecution case, four suspects including a fence and a scrap collector were named over the alleged theft and sale of BTS equipment belonging to XLSmart Telecom Sejahtera, with losses estimated at Rp5 billion. The figure comes from case reporting and has not been through a final court ruling. In parallel, the operator continues expanding coverage, with its XL Ultra 5G+ network now reaching 94 percent of Lombok, adding sites that also need securing.
Public exposure of the problem by a senior operator executive signals that site security spending is likely to rise across the sector, which operates tens of thousands of towers through its infrastructure units. Remote sites with limited power and connectivity remain the hard case for monitoring, which shapes what security technology is practical at scale.