200 local and foreign firms join telecom expo

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)