JAKARTA, thekabarnews.com—Indonesia has ordered telecommunications operators to protect customers’ paid unused internet data and stop charging additional fees merely to preserve or use the remaining allowance.

Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid issued Circular No. 4/2026 on August 28. The measure follows Constitutional Court (MK) Decision No. 273/PUU-XXIII/2025, delivered on July 23, which confirmed that unused data purchased by customers must remain protected.

“Data allowances that customers have paid for are theirs. Operators may not simply erase the remaining data or charge customers additional fees to preserve it,” Meutya said in an official ministry statement published Saturday, August 29.

The circular covers prepaid and postpaid customers who have paid for internet data but do not use their full allowance before the package’s validity period ends.

The policy does not require every internet package to use a single automatic rollover system. Instead, operators must provide clear service options that protect customers’ remaining allowances.

Those options may include rolling over unused data, extending a package’s validity period and transferring its benefits. Operators can also provide compensation (refund), depending on the product and applicable conditions.

Companies may continue offering non-rollover packages, but they must clearly explain the terms before customers make a purchase. The arrangement must not remove paid benefits unilaterally or harm customers.

“We have received many complaints that operators have not fully complied with the Constitutional Court [MK] ruling, which prohibits them from unilaterally erasing customers’ remaining data when a package expires,” Meutya said.

“We issued this circular to ensure that operators comply with Indonesian law,” she added.

MK ruled that telecommunications providers must offer service choices that keep unused data active and available. The judgment treats the remaining allowance as a customer benefit that requires legal protection.

“In practical terms, data that has not been fully used must remain protected as the customer’s property and remain available until it is exhausted, without additional fees justified as an extension of validity or for any other reason,” Constitutional Court Justice Adies Kadir said when reading the judgment.

Under the circular, operators must clearly disclose the package price, total allowance, validity period and usage restrictions. They must also explain what happens to unused data when a package expires.

Providers must provide customers access to an integrated monitoring channel where they can check their usage and remaining allowance.

Operators must submit their first compliance report to the Communications and Digital Ministry by September 28, 2026. They must then report monthly while the ministry will conduct periodic oversight.

The circular establishes the protection requirement, but technical implementation may differ between operators and packages during the transition.

Customers should contact their provider for updated package conditions and formal notifications and to understand their protection options.