Telkom Explores Acquisition of Startup Games, E-commerce, and Big Data

PT Multimedia Nusantara or Metranet, a subsidiary of Telkom, intends to inject investment through the purchase of a majority stake in startups in the fields of games, e-commerce, and big data. Currently, the company is exploring the three business categories.

Metranet CEO Widi Nugroho said the three startups were from within and outside the country, but he was reluctant to give details.

“Yes, [we want to annex] the majority of startup shares [games, e-commerce, and big data). Startups [to be acquired] have shown good financial performance in the last three years. Currently in process[due diligence]," said Widi in a short message to DailySocial.

Actually, in the e-commerce line, Telkom already has Blanja.com which is a form of joint venture (j) between Telkom and eBay. However, Widi admitted that this acquisition will strengthen Blanja.com's position in the Indonesian e-commerce industry.

“E-commerce business models vary, such as Business-to-consumer (B2C), Business-to-Business (B2B), and Business-to-Government (B2G). Can marketplaces, vertical commerce, online stores. There's a shape back-end, platforms, etc. What we will buy will strengthen Blanja.com, "explained Widi.

Previously, Metranet had already completed its first acquisition in August by taking over 30,4 percent stake in Cellum Global Zrt, a Hungarian fintech company. Quoted from NewsOne, Telkom disbursed $6 million (approximately 90 billion Rupiah) in two stages of equity participation.

Currently Metranet focuses on business pillars digital content (games, music, and videos), advertising, smart platform, and financial services (fintech). This business focus is in line with Telkom's commitment to mastering the digital business in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, not only through the connectivity business.