Google for Indonesia event brings heaps of new announcements

Ranging from Google Station and YouTube Go to empowerment programs like Primer and Womenwill, the second annual Google for Indonesia event brings 11 important announcements for Indonesians.

Although I can’t quite remember when the first Google for Indonesia event took place, the search giant just concluded the second annual Google for Indonesia event, and not only does it expand the search giant’s efforts to provide user-oriented and data-efficient services, but it also brings social programs to empower university students, small businesses, and female entrepreneurs. Here’s a recap of 11 new announcements from the event:

1. Google Station: Google Station is essentially Google’s take on Wi-Fi hotspots. The search giant has partnered with FiberStar and CBN to bring hundreds of reliable and fast hotspot venues across Java and Bali over the next year, allowing Indonesian residents in remote areas to gain access to the Internet.
2. YouTube Go: the company first introduced YouTube Go back in February, and it’s the exact same deal here. The app offers two resolutions: basic quality and standard. It also gives you a preview of how much data each video will consume before playing it so that you have the control over your mobile plans.
3. Google Assistant in Bahasa Indonesia: starting today, Google Assistant will be available in Bahasa Indonesia in the Allo app. As you may already know, Google Assistant is the search giant’s AI assistant.
4. Shortcuts in Search: Google says that it “will be adding tappable shortcuts to the Google Search mobile app to help Indonesians more easily explore popular topics like food and drinks, movie showtimes and directions home.”
5. Health Answers: Google is partnering with Mitra Keluarga hospitals to provide answers to questions regarding Indonesia’s 700 most prevalent health conditions. The answers will reportedly contain details on common symptoms and treatments, all in Bahasa.
6. Waze updates: Waze will be updated with a new routing feature based on the last number of license plates that will help Jakarta drivers follow the regulations of the odd-even policy. It also brings hands-free Bahasa voice commands and Bahasa navigation with street names. It will even allow you to record your own voice and use it as the default navigation voice.
7. 25,000 developers trained: Google has apparently trained 25,000 app developers through online courses and Indonesia Android Kejar workshops in six cities, including over 10,000 faculty members and students at universities across the country. The company hopes to train 100,000 Android developers by 2020, creating skilled workers and potential jobs.
8. Primer: Primer is a free app that currently offers 24 lessons in Bahasa Indonesia on topics like “how to create a business and sell products or services online, as well as the power of digital marketing.” Google says more lessons will be added in the future.
9. Gapura Digital: the company’s effort to bring small businesses online, Gapura Digital has had more than 4,500 people sign up for classes in the first three months.
10. Womenwill: it’s already brought over 7,000 women entrepreneurs across five Indonesian cities, and next will be Makassar.
11. org grant to ICT Watch: “Google.org, our philanthropic arm, is supporting Smart Schools Online, an initiative run by ICT Watch to train 35,000 students, teachers and parents on digital literacy and online safety.”

There you have it – Google’s data-saving efforts in emerging markets continue, and given Indonesia’s fast-growing SME sector and population of female workers, its socio-business programs are bound to be extremely impactful. Whether the search giant will expand those to other countries isn’t certain but seems likely.

Are you in Indonesia? Do you think Google’s fast growing Internet-related infrastructure will be useful for local residents? Let us know by leaving a comment below!