ACeS enters Taiwan

ACeS enters Taiwan

JAKARTA (JP): PT ACeS, a subsidiary of publicly-listed PT PSN
which will operate regional satellite-based cellular phones, has
signed a deal with Taiwan's Comsearch Enterprise to become its
national service provider (NSP) in Taiwan.

PSN said in a statement here yesterday that the agreement had
a 10-year term and called for minimum guaranteed payments to ACeS
of US$5 million annually for airtime.

The announcement marked the signing of ACeS's fourth NSP after
Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. It also marked the first
agreement with an independent company since all previous NSPs
have been ACeS founding partners.

Approximately 4.6 percent of Taiwan's population (about
992,000) used cellular phones as of 1996, ranking the nation
seventh among Asia-Pacific markets in terms of penetration, PSN
said.

Comsearch's president, Thomas Chang, said that he expected to
require 36,000 ACeS mobile telephones by the end of 1999.

ACeS, which will operate Garuda satellites, is expected to
launch its service by mid-1999. (icn)