Astratel seeks more foreign partners

JAKARTA (JP): PT Astratel Nusantara, a subsidiary of Astra International, is negotiating with four foreign firms, including the Japanese giant Marubeni, to support its telecommunication business.

In cooperation with France Telecom and two domestic partners, Astratel has set up a consortium called Pramindo Ikat Nusantara, to carry out a telecommunication project in the country. The consortium is one of the five awarded 15-year contracts by the government to install a total of two million telephone lines in Sumatra, West and Central Java, Kalimantan and east provinces.

Pramindo alone will install 516,000 telephone lines in Sumatra beginning early next year. Pramindo will also operate about 1.2 million telephone lines under its contract, which will involve an investment of US$575 million.

"We are now negotiating with the four foreign firms on cooperation to strengthen Pramindo's technical and financial position," Astratel's president, Thomas B. Subijanto, told reporters Thursday.

He said the foreign companies are Marubeni Corp. and Nichimen of Japan, the International Finance Corp., an affiliate of the World Bank, and Commonwealth Development Corp. from Britain.

Marubeni and Nichimen plan to have shares in Pramindo, he said.

Pramindo is 59.5 percent owned by Astratel, 35 percent by France Cable et Radio, a subsidiary of France Telecom, 3.5 percent by PT Intertel Pratamamedia and 2 percent by the cooperative of the employees of the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications.

Another Japanese firm, NTT, is already involved in Mitra Global Telekomunikasi Indonesia, one of the other four consortia awarded the telecommunication projects, which will install 440,000 telephone lines in Central Java.(icn)