A mobile phone or cell phone is a device that not only connects humans to other humans but also connects humans to various devices and life systems. With a mobile phone, one can easily order food, they don’t even have to bother looking for a lost AC remote because it can be replaced. All the conveniences offered in a mobile phone are realized thanks to the sophistication of the telecommunications network engineering system called mobile communications technology.
In terms of innovation, mobile communications is a product of technological innovation that integrates the two main streams of technological innovation in wireless systems and innovation in voice technology systems. Mobile communications were developed starting from the first generation standard (1G) and continuing to 2G, 3G and 4G. Currently, the world community is implementing the 5G standard which was passed in 2020, while researchers are preparing 6G mobile communications technology standards which are expected to appear in 2030.
According to Muhammad Suryanegara, the sophistication of mobile phones that people feel today began on March 7, 1876, when Alexander Graham Bell received a patent certificate for his invention, namely the “telephone”. Graham Bell demonstrated the invention with what was to be the first phrase spoken, namely “Mr. Watson–Come here–I want to see you,” as proof that sound information is converted into electricity and then converted again into sound heard correctly. Graham Bell then asked Mr. Watson to repeat the sentence, and that’s where all the achievements in the field of telecommunications begin.
Suryanegara said that the telecommunications technology system is composed of several actors, including technology innovator engineers at universities, research institutes or technology development corporations; mobile communications product and service developers; cellular network operators; regulators or governments that make policies; and people who use technology. These actors play a role in creating mobile communications technology that provides solutions to human problems.
“In the process of creation, an engineer or technology developer cannot live within the scientific scope of mathematics and physics only. It cannot only be oriented towards providing solutions that are limited to these technological objects but must also rise to a larger level, namely society, which in the ecosystem is the fifth actor, namely the market. This is because innovation is the driving force behind the economic development of a country, said Suryanegara said.
As with the 2045 Gold Indonesia Vision, there are several targets that Indonesia is expected to achieve in 2045 to increase the country’s competitiveness and competitive advantage (Bappenas, 2019). These targets include the 5th rank of GDP in the world; GDP per capita of USD 23,199; economic growth of 5.7%; life expectancy of 75.5 years; tertiary gross enrollment rate of 60%; and the percentage of R&D in national GDP is 2%.
By the pillars of the National Research Master Plan (RIRN) 2017–2045, technology must be directed to achieve state goals, such as poverty alleviation, income redistribution, and even government democratization and national security. For example, the implementation of 5G must be able to facilitate the development of various mobile applications that can help increase people’s income, such as marketplaces.
It is in this role, according to Suryanegara, that it is necessary to orchestrate policies and management by making mobile communications part of efforts to realize this vision within the framework of Indonesia’s digital transformation. This is because mobile communications are one of the main enablers of the digital economy which is widely adopted by society and is one of the main links between humans and internet access.
Thanks to the research entitled “From Graham Bell to 6G Mobile Communications: Innovation, Regulation and Technology Management Towards Vision Indonesia 2045”, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Suryanegara, S.T., M.Sc., IPU was successfully inaugurated as a Permanent Professor in ICT (Telecommunications) Engineering Management, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (FTUI), on Wednesday (1/3). The inauguration procession led by UI Chancellor, Prof. Ari Kuncoro, S.E., M.A., Ph.D., was held at the UI Convention Center, Depok Campus.
Also attending the inauguration was the Deputy Mayor of Depok, Ir. Priest Budi Hartono, M.Sc.; Special Staff of the Presidential Staff Office, Ir. Arief Budhy Hardono; Nuffic Nesso Indonesia Scholarship Team Coordinator, Ir. Indy Hardono, MBA; Chairman of the Universitas Indonesia Alumni Association (ILUNI UI) for the 2022–2025 period, Dr. Ir. Didit Hidayat A. Ratam, MBA .; Deputy Chancellor IV for Research and Student Affairs at Telkom University Bandung, Dr. Ir. Rina Pudjiastuti, M.T .; and the Head of the National Defense Education and Training Center of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General TNI Ketut Gede Wetan Pastia, S.E.
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Suryanegara completed his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at UI (2003); obtained his M.Sc. in Telecommunications from University College London (2004); and successfully earned a Doctor of Engineering degree from the Tokyo Institute of Technology (2011). This permanent lecturer at the Department of Electrical Engineering FTUI also serves as Director of the Continuing Education Program – Center for Computing and Information Technology (CEP-CCIT) FTUI for the 2018-present period.
Several scientific works published by Prof. Dr. Muhammad Suryanegara, among others, Indonesian Spectrum Valuation of 5G Mobile Technology at 2600 MHz, 3500 MHz, and 26 GHz and 28 GHz (2022); User Experience of 5G Video Services in Indonesia: Predictions Based on a Structural Equation Model (2022); A Novel Session Key Update Scheme for LoRaWAN (2022); A Novel Secure Root Key Updating Scheme for LoRaWANs Based on CTR_AES DRBG 128 (2022); and A Proposal for Formulating a Spectrum Usage Fee for 5G Private Networks in Indonesian Industrial Areas (2022).
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Bureau of Public Communications
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia