Nokia committed to developing mobile Internet in RI<\/p>\n
By Sylvia Gratia M. Nirang<\/p>\n
HONGKONG (JP): Finnish mobile communications company Nokia has
\nsaid it is committed to developing the mobile Internet, using
\nWireless Application Protocol (WAP) technology in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Nokia Mobile Phones senior vice president for Asia Pacific
\nNigel Litchfield told The Jakarta Post that Nokia saw great
\nprospects in developing WAP in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"The number of cellular and Internet users in Indonesia is
\nstill small, but the development we have seen in past years is
\nvery encouraging,\" he said on the sidelines of the launch of
\nNokia designed for life products here last week.<\/p>\n
There are less than 2.5 million cellular phone users, about 6
\nmillion fixed line telephone subscribers and some 2 million
\ncomputer users among Indonesia's total population of 210 million.<\/p>\n
Litchfield said he was optimistic that the numbers would grow
\nrapidly in the next couple of years.<\/p>\n
The number of mobile Internet users in Indonesia was expected
\nto reach about 2.6 million, or about 20 percent of the total
\nmobile phone users projected in 2004, according to state
\ntelecommunications operator PT Telkom.<\/p>\n
\"That's why we have continued to launch our WAP-enabled
\nproducts in Indonesia, although we know that Indonesia is not
\nready yet,\" he said. \"It is also to ensure that we are ready to
\nsupply WAP phones when Indonesia is ready to adopt WAP.\"<\/p>\n
WAP is a new global, open standard for handheld devices that
\nwill allow users to access on-line services without having to
\nplug into a laptop computer.<\/p>\n
WAP was initially introduced and developed in the late 1990s
\nby mobile telecommunications system companies, including Nokia,
\nEricsson and Motorola, with the intention to open a mass market
\nwireless Internet service.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, Nokia launched its Nokia 7110 phone in
\nIndonesia. The product has claimed to be the world's first media
\nphone that is based on WAP.<\/p>\n
It is designed for easy access to Internet content from a
\nmobile phone. It can access text information that is available on
\nthe Internet. This means news, weather reports, stock prices, e-
\nmails, flight schedules or wireless banking and electronic
\ncommerce.<\/p>\n
Litchfield acknowledged that growth of mobile Internet and WAP
\ntechnology use might be slower in some countries, including
\nIndonesia, due to the lack of access to the Internet and mobile
\nphones.<\/p>\n
One of the main obstacles in developing WAP in Indonesia is
\nthe unreadiness of cellular operators and Internet content
\nproviders in the country, he said.<\/p>\n
But he added that to speed up the entrance of WAP in
\nIndonesia, Nokia was helping Indonesian cellular operators by
\nintroducing WAP technology.<\/p>\n
\"We are helping Indonesian Global System for Mobile
\nCommunications (GSM) operators by providing them with studies on
\ndeveloping WAP technology in order to embark on mobile Internet
\nservice,\" he said.<\/p>\n
There are three existing GSM operators in the country, namely
\nTelkomsel, Satelindo and Excelcomindo.<\/p>\n
However, he suggested network operators to cooperate with
\ncontent providers and vendors of infrastructures in order to be
\nable to establish a complete service at a more reasonable cost.<\/p>\n
Helping Indonesia adopt WAP technology was part of Nokia's
\ncommitment in developing WAP to pave the way for a mobile
\ninformation society, he said.<\/p>\n
Litchfield said in the future most mobile phones launched by
\nNokia would be WAP-enabled, such as the Nokia 6250 and the Nokia
\n6210 launched at the Nokia designed for life.<\/p>\n
\"The mobile Internet will be the major driven factor in its
\nbusiness development in the future. It brings significant
\nbusiness opportunities to us, given the robust growth of cellular
\nand Internet users in the world,\" he said.<\/p>\n
But aside from introducing WAP-enabled phones, Nokia will
\nstill continue selling its phones which are not WAP-enabled
\nbecause of their high demand in several markets, including
\nIndonesia's.<\/p>\n
\"We are very pleased with our sales in Indonesia over the past
\ntwo years and we see that our sales here have continued to grow
\nthis year. Indonesia is one of the key markets for Nokia. It has
\na very high population, a population which is very acceptable for
\nnew products and services,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Even in the time of economic crisis in 1998, our sales in
\nIndonesia increased albeit there had been a slowdown in growth of
\ncellular sales on the market.\"<\/p>\n
Sources close to Nokia told the Post that sales of the Nokia
\n9110 communicator, a pocket-sized advanced communication device
\nwhich is designed as a mobile office for the affluent market, in
\nIndonesia in 1999 were recorded as the highest in Asia-Pacific,
\ndespite its relatively high price.<\/p>\n
According to data compiled by cell phone producers, the
\nindustry's monthly sales in Indonesia significantly increased
\nfrom approximately 26,000 phones in 1997 to between 30,000 and
\n40,000 in 1998 and 70,000 in 1999.<\/p>\n
New phones<\/p>\n
Nokia launched two WAP-enabled phones at the Hong Kong
\nConvention and Exhibition Center last week.<\/p>\n
The Nokia 6250 is a dust, shock and waterproof WAP-compliant
\nphone designed for the outdoors and a rugged environment.<\/p>\n
It is complete with shock absorbers and other tough mechanics
\nto enable it to withstand a rough environment.<\/p>\n
The phone is able to withstand temporary immersion in water
\nwithout any harmful effects. It is also able to take a fall from
\na considerable height onto a hard surface.<\/p>\n
Litchfield said the phone is combined with the Nokia WAP
\nServer 1.0, which enables outdoor enthusiasts to access weather
\nand news services while skiing, hiking or sailing.<\/p>\n
\"I am confident that this product will be of great interest
\namong outdoor professionals, field service personnel and
\nrecreational or rugged hobbyists,\" Litchfield said.<\/p>\n
The phone also comes complete with a sound level meter,
\nstopwatch and an automatic volume control, which keeps the
\nspeaker volume at an optimum level depending on the environmental
\nnoise.<\/p>\n
Weighing 167 grams and at 159cc, the Nokia 6250 has a talk
\ntime of up to 4 hours and 30 minutes and a standby time of up to
\n260 hours.<\/p>\n
The Nokia 6210 is a slim, ergonomically designed business
\nphone with WAP connectivity and high speed data modem capability,
\noffering data rates of up to 43.2 kbps.<\/p>\n
Its built-in High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD) modem
\nallows up to a four-fold increase in data connectivity, enabling
\nfaster e-mailing, web browsing and file transfer.<\/p>\n
Weighing 114 grams and at 18mm thick, the phone offers talk
\ntime of up to 4 hours and 30 minutes and standby time of up to
\n260 hours.<\/p>\n
Litchfield said the phone was an evolution of the Nokia 6100
\nseries, one of the most popular Nokia phones in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
He said the two phones would enter the Indonesian market in
\nthe third quarter of this year.<\/p>\n
He said Nokia would also upgrade its Nokia 9110 communicator
\nto be WAP-compliant later this year.<\/p>",
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