Telkom in talks to embrace VoIP operators<\/p>\n
Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
State-owned telecommunication company PT Telkom said it was
\nholding talks with telephone Internet operators to adopt their
\nservices, as a recently issued decree bans their operation to
\nmake way for new operators like Telkom.<\/p>\n
Telkom tariff and interconnection vice president Mundarwiyarso
\nsaid the company had had a meeting with the 12 operators offering
\nVoice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service.<\/p>\n
VoIP is a technology for transmitting ordinary telephone calls
\nover the Internet, allowing significant savings during long
\ndistance calls.<\/p>\n
Mundarwiyarso said Telkom had met the 12 operators before the
\nnew decree was issued but they were far from a deal because at
\nthat point they lacked details of the decree.<\/p>\n
\"We haven't decided on the form of a cooperation yet,\" he told
\nThe Jakarta Post, adding he expected more meetings soon.<\/p>\n
A spokesman at the Ministry of Communication, Gatot S.
\nDewabroto said the government had only recently issued the
\ndecree. He gave no date.<\/p>\n
The decree requires the current 12 VoIP operators to stop
\nproviding voice over Internet service as of June 1.<\/p>\n
Replacing them are five newcomers including Telkom and state-
\nowned international call operator PT Indosat. The other three are
\nIndosat's cellular unit PT Satelindo and two private companies,
\nPT Gaharu Sejahtera and PT Atlassat Solusindo.<\/p>\n
This sparked protests from current VoIP operators grouped
\nunder the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association
\n(APJII).<\/p>\n
APJII questioned the fairness of the decree, demanding the
\ngovernment compensate them if they lose their business.<\/p>\n
Current VoIP operators have already secured permits to operate
\ninternet telephony, protocol talks or protocol internet phone --
\nall different names for the same service that VoIP offered.<\/p>\n
APJII fell short of projecting what actions it might take in
\nresponse to the decree, saying it needed to study it first.<\/p>\n
According to the decree, VoIP operators may tie up with the
\nfive new ones or otherwise abandon their service.<\/p>\n
Mundarwiyarso suggested operators use Telkom's permit to
\ncontinue providing VoIP service under the brand of Telkom.<\/p>\n
\"They (old operators) cannot use their own old access codes,\"
\nhe explained.<\/p>\n
According to him, some of the operators were interested in
\njoining Telkom. But he said they were also offered similar
\nschemes by the other newcomers.<\/p>\n
He added that any cooperation schemes with the operators would
\nnot involve the acquisition of their shares.<\/p>\n
\"It is impossible for Telkom to cooperate through share-
\nownership,\" he said.<\/p>\n
APJII's legal advisor Hinca I.P. Pandjaitan confirmed that
\nmost of the 12 operators were likely to join Telkom.<\/p>\n
\"Telkom's infrastructure and facilities are comprehensive, and
\nthe company is already running VoIP services,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The state company launched recently its VoIP service, boasting
\na monthly call traffic of 15 million minutes.<\/p>\n
Its prime call destinations cover Singapore, Australia, the
\nUnited States, China and Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
However two of the old operators said they preferred to keep
\ntheir own business despite the ban.<\/p>\n
\"We already have our own brand. Besides, cooperating with a
\nbig company means layers of bureaucracy and added pressure,\" one
\nof the operators who asked for anonymity said.<\/p>\n
Instead, he said, his company might ask the new license
\nholders to rent their access codes so that they could still run
\nVoIP service under their own brand.<\/p>\n
Herry Dwi Handoko marketing manager of another VoIP operator,
\nPT Uninet Bhaktinusa, also said Uninet was considering using
\nIndosat or Telkom's access codes.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/telkom-in-talks-to-embrace-voip-operators-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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