Millions of people across Southeast Asia are eager to use AI tools — but dollar-denominated subscriptions make them out of reach for many. This is my open letter to Anthropic about a simple fix that could change that. Inspired by my opinion here and the weakening of the rupiah against the dollar. Indonesia alone has over 270 million people and a rapidly growing tech-savvy population — yet currency fluctuation means that a Claude Pro subscription can feel disproportionately expensive compared to local incomes. Telco billing or marketplace partnerships could open the door to an enormous untapped market.
I learned that in Indonesia, we can subscribe to ChatGPT Go through a telecommunications operator, Telkomsel or a VIP membership of a marketplace, ShopeeVIP.
For example, Telkomsel — Indonesia’s largest telco with over 150 million subscribers — has already partnered with OpenAI to offer ChatGPT Go starting at just Rp50,000/month through its MyTelkomsel app, the first such deal in Southeast Asia (sources in footnote 1). Indonesia even ranks #1 in ChatGPT usage in Southeast Asia. Anthropic has a clear, proven path to follow here.
Beyond telcos, marketplace platforms are also getting in on the act. ShopeeVIP members in Indonesia can access ChatGPT Go for free for 3 months as part of their membership benefits — yet another channel that makes AI subscriptions more accessible and affordable for everyday Indonesians. Even after the Telkomsel promo period ends in May 2026 or ShopeeVIP’s ChatGPT Go trial ends after three months, the regular price of Rp75,000/month is still less than a quarter of what Claude Pro costs at today’s exchange rate — making the affordability gap between the two services impossible to ignore.
Anthropic, however, has no equivalent partnership in Indonesia, even though Claude AI is popular (anyone who uses Claude Code?).
At today’s exchange rate (this blog post published on May 21,2026) , a Claude Pro subscription costs $20 per month — equivalent to approximately Rp353,600. According to World Bank data, Indonesia’s GNI per capita was US$4,810 in 2023, which works out to roughly Rp7,100,000 per month at current rates. That means a single Claude Pro subscription would consume around 5% of the average Indonesian’s monthly income — a significant burden, especially as the rupiah continues to weaken against the dollar. Telco billing partnerships, like those OpenAI has established for ChatGPT Go, could make Claude far more accessible to Indonesia’s enormous and growing user base (sources in footnote 2).
I prefer to subscribe through a telecommunications operator, e.g Telkomsel, XL. Why? Because I need to extend my number’s grace period, and my credit is usually idle. Sometimes I use that credit to subscribe to Amazon Prime Video or Netflix, but sometimes I want to use it to subscribe to Claude AI. What do you think about this idea, Anthropic? Anthropic, consider partnering with Indonesian telcos to offer Claude subscriptions in rupiah. It’s a win for accessibility and market growth
- Telkomsel press release ↩︎
- World Bank GNI per capita data: data.worldbank.org
IIndonesia’s GNI per capita in 2023 was US$4,810, classifying it as an upper-middle-income country according to World Bank data. katadata ↩︎