Telkom to go ahead with plan on new tariffs<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): State-owned domestic telephone monopoly PT
\nTelkom is to go ahead with its plan to restructure local call
\ntariffs within Greater Jakarta, the government said yesterday.<\/p>\n
If implemented, Telkom would apply a long-distance call rate
\nof Rp 950 (7 U.S. cents) per minute for all local calls over a
\ndistance of more than 30 kilometers.<\/p>\n
The Directorate General of Post and Telecommunications at the
\nMinistry of Communications said in a statement that Telkom's rate
\nrestructuring plan was in line with the tourism, post and
\ntelecommunications ministerial decree No. KM.104\/PR.301\/MPP-94,
\nwhich came into force on Jan. 1, 1995.<\/p>\n
The decree stipulates that local call rates apply only for
\ncalls within a range of 30 km. Calls over more than 30 km are
\nclassified as long distance, thereby subject to long-distance
\ncall rates.<\/p>\n
The decree simplified long-distance calls into three zones
\nfrom the previous five. Zone one is for calls from 30 km to 200
\nkm, calls between 200 km and 500 km fall into zone two and calls
\nover 500 km fall into zone three.<\/p>\n
The decree set local calls at Rp 110 per pulse, which ranges
\nfrom 1.5 minutes to three minutes depending on the time (morning,
\nafternoon or night) the call is made.<\/p>\n
The rate for long-distance calls in zone one was Rp 950 per
\nminute, Rp 1,320 in zone two and Rp 1,650 in zone three.<\/p>\n
The rates were raised based on telecommunications minister
\ndecree No. 38\/PR.301\/MPPT-98, which came into affect on April 1,
\n1998. Local calls were increased to Rp 145 per pulse and long-
\ndistance calls to Rp 112 per pulse (seven seconds for zone one,
\nfive seconds for zone two and four seconds for zone three).<\/p>\n
\"Therefore, if PT Telkom has a telephone call between two
\nplaces with the same code but at a distance of more than 30
\nkilometers, it means that it does not apply the new rate system
\nbut only the rates based on the tourism, post and
\ntelecommunications ministerial decree,\" the statement said.<\/p>\n
\"Currently, PT Telkom is preparing to implement ministerial
\ndecree No. 38\/PR.301\/MPPT-98 fully and for that it needs time to
\nmake the preparations,\" it added.<\/p>\n
The directorate general noted that Telkom had already applied
\nsuch a rating system in areas outside Greater Jakarta.<\/p>\n
It argued the new system was fairer to callers than the
\nprevious system which treated all calls within the same area code
\nas local calls and all calls between two different area codes as
\nlong-distance calls.<\/p>\n
The old system, it said, treated calls between Bogor and
\nCibinong in West Java, which are 25 km apart, as long-distance
\ncalls because they have different area codes.<\/p>\n
However, calls between Bekasi and Tigaraksa, also both in West
\nJava and 57 km apart were treated as local calls as they shared
\nthe same area code, 021.<\/p>\n
\"This is not fair because telephone users in rural areas
\nsubsidize users in big cities,\" the directorate general argued.<\/p>\n
The changes benefit callers more than 50 areas, such as Bogor,
\nCibinong, Cibubur, Cileungsi, Cinere, Cisalak, Ciputat, Gunung
\nPutri and Tigaraksa, which previously had to pay long-distance
\nrates. (rid)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/telkom-to-go-ahead-with-plan-on-new-tariffs-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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