Telselindo's service may be delayed<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Cellular phone company PT Telselindo Nusantara
\nmaybe unable to begin operations early next year as originally
\nplanned because the government said it would not issue any more
\noperating licenses this year.<\/p>\n
\"We will not issue any more licenses in the near future,\"
\nDirector General of Posts and Telecommunications Djamhari Sirat
\nsaid at the Asia Pacific Telecom 2001 exhibition here.<\/p>\n
\"The government needs to study first whether the frequency is
\navailable, whether the market is viable, and it needs further
\nstudy before a license can be granted,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Telselindo Nusantara recently signed a US$300 million
\npartnership agreement with British company Inquam Limited to
\ndevelop cellular services based on Code Division Multiple Access
\n(CDMA) technology.<\/p>\n
The company had expected to begin its services early next year
\nand had expressed optimism that the government would grant it an
\noperating license some time this year.<\/p>\n
\"Well they can say whatever they want or make any planning
\nthey want,\" Djamhari said.<\/p>\n
The government last awarded state-owned telecommunications
\ncompanies PT Telkom and PT Indosat with nationwide operating
\nlicenses to operate cellular services using the DCS-1800 system
\nin August last year.<\/p>\n
The two giants will compete with existing operators for a
\npiece of the lucrative cellular market.<\/p>\n
Operators holding nationwide operating licenses include PT
\nTelkomsel, PT Satelindo, and PT Excelcomindo Pratama, which
\noperate under the global system for mobile communications (GSM);
\nand the Nordic Mobile Telephones (NMT) operator PT Mobisel.<\/p>\n
Mobisel plans to switch to the more advanced (CDMA) system in
\nMarch next year and has allocated $200 million for the shift.<\/p>\n
Besides operating licenses for nationwide operations, the
\ngovernment has also granted licenses to several companies to
\noperate regionally.<\/p>\n
The companies include advanced mobile phone systems (AMPS)
\noperators PT Telesera in the southern part of Sumatra and
\nKalimantan, PT Komselindo in the northern part of Sumatra, West
\nJava, Jakarta and Sulawesi, and PT Metrosel in Central Java and
\nEast Java.<\/p>\n
Regional operations licenses have also been issued to several
\noperators using the DCS-1800 system. They are PT Astratel for
\nSumatra, PT AriaWest International for West Java, PT Inti for
\nJakarta, PT Mitra for Central Java, PT Natrindo Telepon Seluler
\nfor East Java, PT Primarindo for Kalimantan, and PT Kodel for
\nBali and Sulawesi. (tnt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/telselindos-service-may-be-delayed-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}