Govt to speed up fixed line development<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government will accelerate the development
\nof telecommunications networks to reach a ratio of 20 fixed
\ntelephone lines for every 100 people by the year 2020.<\/p>\n
\"If we fail to reach the figure, Indonesia will be classified
\nas an underdeveloped nation,\" Director General of Post and
\nTelecommunications Djakaria Purawidjaja told reporters here
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
Currently, there are five million telephone lines in Indonesia
\nfor a population of almost 200 million. The number of mobile
\ncellular telephone subscribers is estimated at 300,000. In
\nJakarta alone, the fixed telephone line density now stands at 11
\nper 100.<\/p>\n
\"In the future, both fixed and cellular telephones will be
\nmutually important,\" Djakaria said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is currently developing telecommunications networks
\nand infrastructures -- including fiber optics, submarine cables,
\nterrestrial gateways and satellites -- for both fixed
\ntelecommunications lines and cellular services.<\/p>\n
\"We will learn from what is happening in Japan now,\" Djakaria
\nsaid. \"The telephone line density in that country is 40 per 100
\npeople.\"<\/p>\n
He said that the total population in Indonesia in 2020 is
\npredicted to reach 250 million. \"The number of fixed telephone
\nlines in that year should reach at least 20 percent of the total
\npopulation, while the number of mobile cellular telephone lines
\nshould be between 10 percent and 20 percent of the country's
\ntotal number of telephone lines,\" he predicted.<\/p>\n
Compared with Japan and most countries grouped in the
\nAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indonesia still
\nlags behind in telephone density. The figure in Indonesia is less
\nthan 1.8 as compared to 46 in Singapore, 13 in Thailand and 6.5
\nin Malaysia.<\/p>\n
The government has set a target for the establishment of at
\nleast 6.5 million additional telephone lines during the ongoing
\nSixth Five-Year Development Plan period ending in March 1999.<\/p>\n
In its latest annual report, the state-owned domestic
\ntelecommunications firm PT Telkom announced that its network
\ndevelopment plan exceeds the government's target and calls for
\nthe nationwide construction of approximately 6.5 million lines
\nduring five years, ending on Dec. 31, 1998. This will increase
\nthe total number of telephone lines in Indonesia to 8.9 million.<\/p>\n
Djakaria said that the government must work hard to reach a
\nratio of four fixed telephone lines for each 100 people by 1998,
\nand 10 per 100 people by 2000 in order to reach the ratio of
\n20 per 100 people by 2020.<\/p>\n
\"We are optimistic that Telkom will be able to market any
\ntelephone lines it has developed, because the country's income
\nper capita has always been growing,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Telkom has changed its former 6-3-1 strategy which means to
\noffer six lines to businesses, three to government offices and
\none to households for each 10 fixed telephone lines the company
\nmarkets,\" he said. \"The target is now 5-3-2.\" he said. (icn)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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