Asia Link buys 35 percent stake in PT Metrosel

JAKARTA (JP): The Holland-based Asia Link B.V., owned by Indonesia's wealthy Salim family, has bought a 35 percent stake, worth US$147 million, in PT Metro Selular Nusantara (Metrosel), a mobile cellular telecommunications firm.

Andry Pribadi, a top executive of the Napan group -- the majority shareholder in Metrosel -- said yesterday Asia Link was chosen as a new partner because of its strong telecommunication networks in Asia.

"The partnership with Asia Link is important for Metrosel's future operations," he said following the signing of the acquisition agreement.

Metrosel president Partono Prabowo said his company runs an Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) with some 20,000 users in Central and East Java, Maluku and Irian Jaya.

"Metrosel plans to upgrade its AMPS service with Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology," Partono said, adding that the company planned to install a 10,000-line network in the eastern provinces.

He said Metrosel would set up the CDMA service after a tender was completed involving Korean companies, Hyundai, Samsung and Goldstar, and United States firms, Qualcomm, Lucent and Motorola.

Before yesterday's agreement, Metrosel, established in December 1995, was 64 percent owned by PT Centralindo Panca Sakti Cellular of the Napan Group, 20.17 percent by state-owned PT Telkom, 9.83 percent by Telkom's employee pension fund, 5 percent by PT Jatiyuda Selular and 1 percent by an Armed Forces' cooperative.

Metrosel is now 35 percent owned by Asia Link, a subsidiary of the Hong Kong-based First Pacific Company, and 40.2 percent by PT Centralindo Panca Sakti Cellular, he said.

First Pacific, 34 percent owned by the Salim family, also has an 80 percent stake in PT Indolink First Pacific, a nation-wide pager operator, he said.

Metrosel's other shareholders include Telkom, Jatiyuda Selular and the Armed Forces' cooperative, Pribadi said.

Telkom finance director Harry Supangkat said his company's holding in Metrosel was unchanged.

Besides Metrosel, Telkom has five other subsidiaries dealing with mobile cellular telecommunications including the AMPS operators, PT Komselindo (35 percent owned by Telkom) and PT Telekomindo Primabakti (10 percent), the Global System for Mobile telecommunication carriers, PT Satelindo (22.5 percent) and PT Telkomsel (42.72 percent), and the Nordic Mobile Telephone operator, PT Mobisel (25 percent). (icn)