Government set to ban controversial chat lines<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Tourism, Post and
\nTelecommunications is ready to block chat line services and deal
\nfirmly with local agents of callback services, a senior official
\nsaid yesterday.<\/p>\n
Director General of Post and Telecommunications Djakaria
\nPurawidjaja said his office is technically able and ready to
\nblock chat lines, a \"friendship\" telecommunications service
\nprovided by overseas operators which has sparked controversy in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
\"But we are still waiting for directions from authorities in
\ncharge of supervising broadcasting and telecommunications
\ncontents. The post and telecommunications office deals only with
\ninfrastructure,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said the related authorities include the Supreme Court, the
\nMinistry of Justice, the Attorney General and the National
\nPolice.<\/p>\n
Chat line service agents have aggressively promoted their
\nproducts through electronic and print media, claiming the state-
\nowned PT Indosat and privately owned PT Satelindo, both
\ninternational telecommunications providers, also supported the
\nservices.<\/p>\n
The two firms have denied the claim and have called on the
\nmedia to drop advertisements which look like phone sex services.
\nBut the chat line business is still being widely advertised.<\/p>\n
Chat line services are being run by several operators, most of
\nthem located overseas in Hong Kong, Sweden, Malaysia, Hawaii and
\nother nations.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Consumers Protection Agency expressed concern
\nthat children are curious and can become addicted to the service,
\ncreating hefty telephone bills for some parents.<\/p>\n
Indosat and Satelindo agreed the chat line service being run
\nby overseas firms was a major headache for the international call
\nbusiness.<\/p>\n
People interested in joining the service are required to dial
\n001 or 008, the respective international access codes for Indosat
\nand Satelindo. Tariffs are based on international call charges.<\/p>\n
An international call to Malaysia, for instance, costs Rp
\n2,900 (US$1) per six seconds.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, an Indosat executive Bambang Sulistyo and Janto
\nWaryanto of Satelindo said yesterday their companies suffered Rp
\n6.6 billion (US$2.2 million) in lost business opportunities in
\nthe January-September period this year due to illegal callback
\nservices.<\/p>\n
The companies said such practices would reduce state revenue
\nbecause callback service providers are based in foreign
\ncountries, targeting customers in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
A decree signed by the Minister of Tourism, Post and
\nTelecommunications Joop Ave in August 1994 banned callback
\nservice providers and users in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Djakaria said an international telecommunications regulation
\nalso banned such practices but overseas operators are still
\nattempting to penetrate the Indonesian market.<\/p>\n
\"There are always customers for callback services as they
\noften offer cheaper charges,\" Djakaria said.<\/p>\n
Callback service providers offer international calls with
\ntariffs far lower than those set by the government. They usually
\ntarget multinational enterprises and major local companies as
\nwell as individuals and customers.<\/p>\n
Clients intending to use callback services just need to dial
\ntoll-free numbers, give the operator their number and the number
\nthey want to call and wait for the operator to return their call.
\nThe charge is then debited by the operator from a bank account or
\ncredit card. (icn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-set-to-ban-controversial-chat-lines-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}