200 local and foreign firms join telecom expo

JAKARTA (JP): Some 200 domestic and international companies are participating in the wireless telecommunications and networking conference and exhibition, Techno Pre-Eminence (TPE) Connectivity 2000, which opened on Monday.

The exhibition, which will last until Thursday, displays the latest wireless and networking technologies from mobile phone manufacturers such as Ericsson, Motorola and Alcatel, as well as those dealing with telecommunications infrastructure like Cisco Systems and Asia Cellular Satellite (ACeS).

PT Ericsson Indonesia launched its newest handset in a separate ceremony on Monday.

The Ericsson R380s is a mobile phone which functions also as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) with a wide touch-screen when the keypad is flipped open.

Ericsson director for consumer products, Susanto Sosilo said the phone costs around Rp 5 million ($588) to Rp 5.5 million including a desktop charger and handsfree accessory.

Alcatel showcased its newest handsets, the 300, 500 and 700 series which will be officially launched and marketed in November.

The 500 and 700 series feature organizers, Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and Bluetooth technology, which synchronizes PCs and handheld PC devices without cables.

The 700 series also incorporates Global Packet Radio Service (GPRS) which could speed up WAP applications to 16 kilobit per second as opposed to the usual 9.6 kilobit per second.

In his speech at the opening of the exhibition, the Director General of Post and Telecommunications at the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications Sasmito Dirjo said that given Indonesia's vast geographical area, connectivity to all parts of Indonesia is very difficult.

Lack of telecommunication plays a major role in the disparity in the educational and economic development levels of Indonesians, he said.

"It becomes clear that building the infrastructure for our telecommunications network and information services should be aligned with the tasks of reducing the gap," Sasmito said in his speech.

President director of state-owned telecommunications company PT Telkom Muhammad Nazif said that the wireless technology is the most appropriate technology to be implemented in most parts of Indonesia.

"One of the advantages offered by the wireless technology is the ability to minimize the impact of the geographical constraints," he said in his opening speech.

Sasmito said that in Indonesia, the trend is moving toward wireless and mobile telecommunications.

So far there are only approximately six million fixed telephone lines to service some 200 million people in Indonesia, while in less than 10 years there are already more than two million subscribers to cellular phone operators, he said.

The two-day conference with the theme "Wireless for The Largest Archipelago" is hoped to provide input and discuss the implementation of Indonesia's future telecommunications and information infrastructure.

The conference and exhibition is organized by RisTI, the research and development division of PT Telkom, and event organizer Miller Freeman.(10)