Indonesia prepares national information network<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia is preparing a massive
\ntelecommunications plan to further enter the Information
\nTechnology era. The project, Nusantara 21, is designed to connect
\nthe whole archipelago to the information superhighway.<\/p>\n
This year, the Year of Telecommunications (and Cooperatives)
\nis timely because Indonesia is starting to make great strides in
\nglobal telecommunications and information technology (IT). The
\nproject will involve both private and government participation.<\/p>\n
Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave said
\nthat the country had no choice but to embark on such a massive
\nproject. Otherwise, Indonesia would be left behind by other
\nnations.<\/p>\n
Joop said that IT, defined as the integration of
\ntelecommunications and computing hardware and software, would
\nhave the main components of telecommunications, the computer
\nindustry and television broadcasting, as well as the media
\nindustry.<\/p>\n
"As a result of the IT revolution, every country, including
\nIndonesia, is now confronted with a new world economy. This new
\nworld economy has clear features, is high speed, knowledge
\nintensive, increasingly transactional and highly disciplinarian."<\/p>\n
He said that all countries and all sectors would have to
\nincreasingly compete along the dimensions of agility, government
\nand private; constant learning and upgrading; networking; and
\nreliability.<\/p>\n
A pact, the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), was signed
\nin March by trade superpowers and developing nations, securing a
\nUS$600 billion deal to scrap tariffs on information technology
\nproducts and is a big boost to consumers and manufacturers in the
\nbooming industry.<\/p>\n
Thirty-nine countries representing 92.5 percent of the world
\ntrade in infotech products committed themselves to the pact,
\nwhich will cut tariffs on computers, telecommunications products,
\nsemiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, software
\nand CD ROMs and scientific instruments by 2000.<\/p>\n
The participating nations include the United States, the 15-
\nmember European Union, Japan, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong,
\nIceland, Indonesia, South Korea, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland,
\nTurkey, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Israel, India,
\nMacau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Rumania, the Slovak Republic,
\nThailand and Taiwan.<\/p>\n
ITA signatories have pledged to eliminate tariffs on products
\nsuch as computers, software and integrated circuits by 2000,
\nalthough seven industrializing countries have been given a
\ndeadline of 2005.<\/p>\n
Indonesia does not want to be left behind its neighbors in
\ndeveloping information technology.<\/p>\n
Malaysia has an ambitious project dubbed Multimedia Super
\nCorridor, while Singapore has its own ambition to be an
\nintelligent island.<\/p>\n
Nusantara 21 includes the development of multimedia technology
\nin several big cities and wideband superlanes by 2001. State-
\nowned PT Telkom has been assigned to coordinate the project in
\ncooperation with other institutions, ministries and private
\nparties.<\/p>\n
Nusantara 21 is the country's next major breakthrough in
\ntelecommunications technology after deciding in 1976 to develop
\nPalapa, a communications satellite system.<\/p>\n
The project will link the country's 27 provincial capitals
\ndominated by 155 Mbps widebands. All existing telecommunications
\ninfrastructure, including satellites, conventional and
\nterrestrial cables, submarine cables and terrestrial radio links
\nare to be linked to the new massive telecommunication networks.<\/p>\n
Major cities and district capitals should be hooked up by
\n2001. By then, educational, cultural, health, trade, research and
\nscience, tourism, public service and government applications will
\nhave been sufficiently developed to benefit from the
\ntelecommunications highway.<\/p>\n
The project will include Archipelagic Super-lane, Multimedia
\nCities and Nusantara Multimedia Community Access Centers.<\/p>\n
Any satellites, including the Palapa-B, Palapa-C, Garuda and
\nthe Indostar series, as well as other personal communications
\nservice satellites under operation, will facilitate this access.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's agrarian society will be able to have voice-rich
\ncommunity links, a system offering efficient information and
\ntechnology applications.<\/p>\n
Infrastructure<\/p>\n
Such a network of services will also enhance private
\nactivities, including finance and banking, education, trade and
\nother development activities.<\/p>\n
However, the project will face a number of barriers due to the
\ncurrent poor telecommunications facilities.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's current telephone density figure is still very
\nlow, less than two fixed telephone lines for every 100 people.
\nThere are five million telephone lines in Indonesia for a
\npopulation of 200 million. In Jakarta, the fixed telephone line
\ndensity now stands at 11 per 100 people.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is currently developing telecommunications networks
\nand infrastructure, including fiber optics, submarine cables,
\nterrestrial gateways and satellites, for fixed telecommunications
\nlines and cellular services.<\/p>\n
The government has predicted that Indonesia's population in
\n2020 will exceed 250 million, while 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.<\/p>\n
Compared with Japan and most countries in the Association of
\nSoutheast Asian Nations, Indonesia still lags in terms of
\ntelephone-line density. The figure in Indonesia is less than 1.8
\nper 100 people; in Singapore it is 46, Thailand, 13, and
\nMalaysia, 6.5.<\/p>\n
According to analysts, the government will have to work hard
\nto reach a ratio of four fixed telephone lines for each 100
\npeople by 1998, and 10 per 100 people by 2000 in order to reach
\nthe ratio of 20 per 100 people by 2020.<\/p>\n
Quality is also still low and the country's dependency on
\nimported technology and equipment is high.<\/p>\n
Other challenges<\/p>\n
The development of Nusantara 21 will also depend on proper
\nregulations. Telecommunications laws, a broadcasting bill and rules on
\ncopy rights will all influence the project.<\/p>\n
The government is currently reviewing Telecommunications Law No 3,
\nwhich was issued in 1989. Analysts said that the eight-year-old law
\nneeded "refurbishment". It is not clear when the law will be amended.
\nIn the meantime, the government has passed the broadcasting bill.<\/p>\n
The two regulations are playing important roles in the IT
\nindustry.<\/p>\n
Suitably qualified human resources will be needed to support and
\nmaintain the project and the telecommunications industry in general.<\/p>\n
Joop said that the world used IT in a rather narrow sense, as it
\nreferred mainly to engineering and computer specialists.<\/p>\n
More than half of students enrolled in higher education are social
\nsciences majors; science and technology represented 18 percent and 14
\npercent respectively, he said.<\/p>\n
"The government is currently preparing a plan to develop a
\nlarge number of engineering education institutions, most of them are
\npoly-tech\/diploma programs, up to 100 institutions in 2000."<\/p>\n
According to the government, pure IT education began being offered
\nin universities about 10 years ago. The percentage of IT students is
\nexpected to grow in the next 20 years with relative "slower" speed
\ncompared to the other engineering disciplines.<\/p>\n
The rate of increase of students studying in computer science is
\nabout 10 percent to 15 percent per year. In 2000, the student body
\nwill have approximately doubled. (icn)<\/p>\n
Table A: Domestic Telecommunications Service<\/p>\n
1992 1995 1999
\n ---------------------------------------------------------
\n Population (millions) 183 192 208
\n GDP (US$) 622 935 1,117
\n Lines in service (millions) 1,548 2,764 8,000
\n Penetration 0.83 1.42 3.84
\n No of pay phone (thousands) 46 90.9 240
\n Multimedia ISDN in broadband<\/p>\n
major cities services<\/p>\n
Table B: Student Enrollment in Higher Education<\/p>\n
Field study 1995 2005 2020
\n ---------------------------------------------------------
\n Engineering 70,000 21,000 500,000
\n Physic science 95,000 145,000 305,000
\n Social science 335,000 360,000 395,000
\n Total 500,000 715,000 1,200,000<\/p>",
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