god, don't i know. my bali branch has to connect to my jakarta intranet everyday, and it's pure pain to use. decent broadband in bali is years overdue. the bureaucrats/govt there truly do not understand the importance of this to investment, esp. in areas outside of the already saturated tourism-related industries. a few years ago i spoke to the head of the Bali BKPM about this very matter. he could not get his head around the concept that "communications" could mean more than telephone lines.

Thank God for that, bring it on! In the meantime, in Darkest Bali, we remain stuck with Speedy, which is oxymoronic. Actually, no just plain moronic. You too can have dialup download speeds from a "Broadband" service which is only actually connected half the time anyway!!

Mustaqim Adamrah, THE JAKARTA POST, LONDON Indonesia has asked for fair treatment concerning protective economic policies taken by developing countries in response to the global crisis, Trade Minister Mari Pangestu said Wednesday in London. Mari said Indonesia had requested G20 leaders to allow developing countries to adopt protectionist policies that were in line with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. “[The exception is needed] to help them cope with shrinking global demand,” she said.

Subsea cables to improve domestic and overseas links Indonesia is ramping up its submarine network cabling infrastructure with the first quarter of this year by installing two subsea cable projects totalling US$300 million to improve high-speed domestic and overseas network.

Singapore. Indonesia, the largest US export market for soybeans in Southeast Asia, is likely to increase purchases of the beans this year, a US executive said, despite an overall decline in demand in Southeast Asia predicted at as much as 10 percent.

French supermarket chain PT Carrefour Indonesia could face a hefty penalty of up to Rp 25 billion ($2.2 million) if it is found to have been involved in unfair or monopolistic business practices, an official at the Business Competition Supervisory Commission, or KPPU, said on Thursday, after the body officially announced it was investigating allegations against the large retailer. Carrefour management strongly denied the allegations, which they said were unfounded and confused.