Telecom operators ready for mobile Internet<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Major telecommunications providers said here on
\nMonday that they were ready to expand into wireless internet
\nservices this year using the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)
\ntechnology.<\/p>\n
PT Telkom's director of research and development on
\ninformation technology, Suryatin Setiawan, said Telkom was
\ncurrently finalizing the traffic system of its new mobile
\ninternet service.<\/p>\n
\"We hope to complete the process in the next couple of months
\nso that we can launch the system in October. We are going to
\nenter the wireless business in order to maintain good growth,\" he
\ntold journalists on the sidelines of a WAP seminar held by
\nEricsson.<\/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 late 1990s by
\nmobile telecoms system companies, including Nokia, Ericsson and
\nMotorola, with the intention to open mass-market wireless
\nInternet service.<\/p>\n
Suryatin said many companies are expected to get involved in
\nWAP development in order to participate in the predicted boom in
\nthe mobile Internet market in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
He said the number of mobile internet users here was expected
\nto reach around 2.6 million, or about 20 percent of the total
\nmobile phone users projected in 2004.<\/p>\n
To be able to launch a full mobile internet service, Telkom,
\nwhose core business is fixed line network, should consider
\nacquiring one of the existing mobile phone network operators in
\norder to obtain the gateway infrastructure, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Telkom can build and operate its own wireless network without
\nhaving to cooperate with GSM operators, but we will need to
\nobtain a new license for that,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said the board of directors would immediately decide
\nwhether or not Telkom should acquire an existing GSM operator, in
\nwhich Telkom already owns an interest.<\/p>\n
The three existing GSM operators Telkomsel, Satelindo and
\nExcelcomindo have been preparing themselves with studies on
\ndeveloping WAP technology in order to embark on mobile Internet
\nservice.<\/p>\n
Excelcomindo's general manager for pre-paid service, A.
\nPutranto, said the company would launch a pilot project on WAP
\nsystems in the middle of the year before proceeding with the
\ncommercial operation of its wireless Internet service later this
\nyear.<\/p>\n
\"Ideally mobile internet service should be provided by both
\npost paid and pre-paid customers. However, due to technical
\nsystems, including billing, it will be much easier for us to
\noffer the service to the post paid customers,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Telkomsel's general manager for marketing, Erik Meijer, said
\nthe company planned to launch its mobile Internet service using
\nthe WAP system this year.<\/p>\n
\"Our service will allow subscribers to access various
\ninformation, including traffic updates, e-commerce and
\ninformation on weather, financial news or travel information from
\navailable internet sites through their mobile phones,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meijer said the company sees a great opportunity in WAP
\nservice, including higher airtime revenues, new market and
\npartners.<\/p>\n
He said network operators need to cooperate with content
\nproviders and vendors of infrastructures in order to be able to
\nestablish a complete service at a more reasonable cost.<\/p>\n
Among content providers with immediate plan to offer WAP
\nservice is internet portal Detikcom, which is currently
\ndeveloping a service to enable access of its news content by
\nmobile phone users, according to president of Detikcom's owner
\nAgrakom, Abdul Rahman.<\/p>\n
\"We intend to become one of the first WAP content providers in
\nIndonesia. The prototype of the Wap service we are currently
\ndeveloping is expected to be available by April,\" he said. (cst)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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