The nation’s pay-TV providers have failed to turn a profit yet, but they are rapidly adding customers as they scramble to capture a largely untapped market. Last year, 850,000 Indonesian households subscribed to pay-TV - about 2 percent of the 40 million who own televisions. These numbers smell like future profits to industry executives, who are upgrading infrastructure and providing more programming.

Indonesia may need a regulatory reform commission to tackle coordination problems between economic ministries in a bid to boost investment and accelerate economic growth after the economic crisis, the World Bank says. There have been coordination problems between ministries that have partly hampered faster growth, World Bank lead economist William E. Wallace said in a press briefing Wednesday.

TEMPO Interactive, Batam: A delegation of about 38 Polish businessmen led by Remigiusz Yakubuski yesterday met with the governor of Riau Archipelago, Ismeth Abdullah, in Batam. Accompanied by Indonesian Ambassador to Poland, Hazairin Pohan, the group asked about investment opportunities in the free trade zone and port areas of Batam, Bintan, and Karimun. According to Pohan, the businessmen come from the mining, garbage, and plantation sectors.

TEMPO Interactive, Garut: The Garut regency government in West Java, has not received its share of profits worth Rp 56 billion in the geothermal power businesses from PT Indonesia Power (the power plant business unit in Kamojang) and PT Chevron Geothermal Indonesia. Yet, according to the Finance Department’s decree, the fund should have been received on October 26. “There has been no explanation, but the payment isoverdue,” said Garut regent, Aceng H.M Fikri, yesterday.

Jakarta (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Indonesian state-owed company PT Krakatau Steel will sign a joint venture agreement with South Korea's steel giant Pohang Iron and Steel to build a US$5 billion steel plant in the country. Krakatau President Fazwar Bujang said the country's largest steel maker would take up to 45 per cent stake in the venture.

Tighter government regulation of the fast-growing franchising sector would reduce messy failures, an official from the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said on Thursday. “In franchising, I strongly suggest that investors investigate before investing,” said Amir Karamoy, a member of the franchising and licensing committee of the chamber, also known as Kadin, ahead of next week’s Franchise & License Indonesia Expo 2009.