Indosat forms joint venture company in Kazakstan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): International telecommunications operator PT
\nIndosat has set up a joint venture company in Kazakhstan, named
\nInkatel, to provide small aperture terminal (VSAT)
\ntelecommunication services in the central Asian republic.<\/p>\n
The company announced here yesterday the new company, with
\npaid-up capital of US$4.75 million, is 40 percent owned by
\nIndosat, 50 percent owned by the Jarykh limited company of
\nKazakhstan and 10 percent by PT Prima Comexindo.<\/p>\n
Jarykh is a Kazakhstani state-owned telecommunication company,
\nwhile Comexindo is a private firm controlled by Hasjim
\nDjojohadikusumo who plans to build a cotton-spinning factory in
\nUzbekistan.<\/p>\n
The Kazakhstani joint venture was formed as part of Indosat's
\nexpansion program.<\/p>\n
Indosat, listed on the New York and Jakarta stock exchanges,
\nannounced its plan earlier to invest about $736.5 million between
\n1996 and 2000 on regional and international telecommunication
\nprojects and on domestic telecommunication infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Indosat has a 49 percent stake in Cambodia-based Camintel SA,
\na firm incorporated in 1994 to repair and renovate Cambodia's
\ntelephone network which was vandalized in political strife two
\nyears ago. The Cambodian Ministry of Post and Telecommunications
\nowns 51 percent of the firm.<\/p>\n
Another Indosat subsidiary, PT Indoprima Mikroselindo
\n(Primasel), plans to launch a Personal Handy-phone System (PHS)
\nin Surabaya, East Java, next January. PHS is a new mobile phone
\nsystem developed in Japan which works at 1.9 gigahertz.<\/p>\n
Primasel, formed last August with paid-up capital of $2.12
\nmillion, is 20 percent owned by Indosat, 20 percent by the state-
\nowned telecommunication-equipment manufacturer PT Inti, 35
\npercent by PT Yamabri Komunikasindo, a company controlled by the
\nFoundation of Military Headquarters, and 25 percent by
\nPrimkopparpostel, the cooperative of the Ministry of Tourism,
\nPost and Telecommunications.<\/p>\n
Inti marketing director Jopie Manduapessy told The Jakarta
\nPost earlier this week that Primasel expected to install about
\n1,000 PHS lines in Surabaya.<\/p>\n
\"Despite the expansion of current cellular systems, PHS will
\nbe more attractive because call tariffs will be very similar to
\nfixed-telephone charges,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He was optimistic that Primasel would win a license to operate
\nPHS regionally or nationally, though the government has
\nrepeatedly announced that firms running trial operations would
\nnot automatically win the planned tenders for the licenses.<\/p>\n
The government is expected to launch an open tender to
\ndetermine several new cellular telephone operators early next
\nyear. A number of trial operations have been launched, such as
\nthe DCS-1,800 system run by PT Cellnet Nusantara in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"Of course we are ready with the service after the long-term
\npreparation in cooperation with JRC of Japan,\" Manduapessy
\nsaid. (icn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indosat-forms-joint-venture-company-in-kazakstan-1447893297",
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