Meulaboh, 28 March 2022. President Director & CEO of PT XL Axiata Tbk (XL Axiata), Dian Siswarini, inaugurated the mosque which is a waqf from the company's management and XL Axiata employees, Monday (28/3). The Soetiman Mosque in question is located in Gampong Blang Beurandang, Johan Pahlawan District, West Aceh Regency, Aceh Province. Governor of Aceh, Ir. H. Nova Iriansyah, M.T delivered his opening remarks online.
Also attending the inauguration were XL Axiata Chief Human Capital Officer, M. Hira Kurnia, Rumah Zakat CEO, Nur Efendi, XL Axiata Group Head, Desy Sari Dewi, XL Axiata Head of Sales Outer - Aceh, Oloan Monang Sinambela, Head of Central MTXL, Yanuar Tirta Kumaya, Expert Staff to the Governor of Aceh for Government, Law and Politics, Drs. Bukhari, MM, Expert Staff for Government, Law and Politics of West Aceh Regency, Mawardi, SH and a number of local community leaders.
Dian Siswarini expressed gratitude that the construction of the mosque could be completed faster than previously estimated so that it could be immediately utilized by the surrounding community. "We are very grateful that we were able to complete the construction and then donated this mosque to the people of Blang Beurandang Village, Johan Pahlawan District, West Aceh Regency. Our choice to build a mosque here is inseparable from our long-standing desire to be able to give appreciation to the people of West Aceh and Aceh Province in general, where we have been present among the Acehnese people since 2005 through telecommunication networks and services.”
Governor of Aceh, Ir. H. Nova Iriansyah, MT, said, "On behalf of the people of Aceh Besar District and especially the residents of Blang Beurandang Village, Johan Pahlawan District, West Aceh Regency and personally, I express my highest gratitude to Mrs. Dian Siswarini, the big family employees of XL Axiata and Rumah Zakat who gave a very valuable gift to us, namely the great and beautiful Soetiman Mosque. Moreover, in a few days we will enter the month of Ramadan, so that people can use it for worship, so this is really a great gift. I hope that the people of Blang Beurandang Village can maintain this mosque as well as possible, so that it becomes a place of worship and also a center for social activities. By saying Bismillah, I inaugurate the Soetiman Mosque."
The construction process of the Soetiman Mosque was started in early October 2021 and was completed in March 2022. The funds for the construction of the 19 meter X 21 meter mosque came entirely from the management and waqf of XL Axiata employees. The background for the construction of this mosque is because since the 2004 tsunami there has been no mosque in this village. Construction work to finishing is carried out under the coordination of the Rumah Zakat Indonesia Foundation as a partner of MTXL Axiata. The facilities available at this mosque include carpets throughout the mosque, mihrab area carpet, pulpit, sound system, 4-sided wall fan, standard and wireless mic, mukena closet, sarong cupboard, Al-Quran cupboard and cleaning equipment. To support the smooth running of residents’ activities, XL Axiata also installed a complete set of internet routers with a free 20GB data package which will be charged every month for a year.
Waqf as one of the routine programs of the XL Axiata Taklim Council (MTXL) which is part of the corporate social responsibility program. On the same occasion, the XL Axiata Taklim Council also distributed donations for orphans. MTXL Axiata will cooperate with Rumah Zakat Indonesia and will also provide assistance for the next 1 year in the form of counseling and training to maximize the use of the facilities available at this waqf mosque.
Strengthening Network in West Aceh Coast
XL Axiata continues to strengthen its network as data traffic continues to increase in all areas of Aceh Province, including the West coast of Aceh. In this area, XL Axiata has a total of 216 4G BTS, spread over 6 regencies. The distribution of 4G BTS in each area is Aceh Besar 134 BTS, Aceh Barat 29, Aceh Jaya 5, Aceh Barat Daya 21, Aceh Selatan 18, and Aceh Singkil 9. In addition to BTS, XL Axiata network in areas facing directly to the Indian Ocean is also strengthened with the 530 km fiber optic backbone network, which is connected to networks throughout Sumatra.
Currently, XL Axiata's data network in all coastal regencies of West Aceh has reached a total of 54 districts and 1186 villages. XL Axiata will continue to strengthen its network in this region as part of the company's commitment to continue to strengthen and expand its 4G data network outside Java, to remote areas that included into the 3T category (The Frontier, Remote and Disadvantaged).
“The existence of the XL Axiata data network in the West coast of Aceh will certainly be used by local communities to support various productive activities, as well as to improve their digital literacy. Located in an area that is quite far from big cities in Aceh and North Sumatra, the existence of a high-speed data network in this area is certainly needed to reduce the digital access gap," explained XL Axiata West Region Group Head Desy Sari Dewi.
To support services throughout Aceh Province, XL Axiata has operated a total of around 2,150 BTS, including around 1,120 4G BTS to serve around 678,700 customers. XL Axiata's data network in Aceh Province has also reached and served customers in remote islands such as Simeulue, Sabang, Breuh, and Nasi, which are scattered in the waters of the Indian Ocean.