Beeper operators find new users elusive

JAKARTA (JP): Radio paging operators face various challenges to increase the number of subscribers due to the inferior image of beepers and poorly maintained pay phones, according to telecommunications executives.

President of PT Raya Pertiwi Semesta which operates Multipage beeper, Muljo Rahardjo, and president of PT Skytelindo Service which runs SkyTel beeper, F.X. Hadi Tjokrosoesilo, said it would be hard for beeper operators to reach three million radio paging users within the Sixth Five-Year Development Plan which will end in March 1999.

Minister of tourism, post and telecommunications announced in 1995 a new target of three million radio paging subscribers, three times the previously set target of one million during the period.

The minister said beeper operators could focus on expanding subscriptions by penetrating the segments of students, police officers, farmers, journalists and other potential users.

Hadi said there were now some 750,000 pager subscribers in the country.

"It's hard to get new users as the public considers beepers less fashionable than the expansive mobile telephone industry," Muljo said.

He said beepers were also less competitive as the equipment is only a one-way telecommunications tool.

"Beeper users must find a telephone or pay phone to make a call if they are beeped. In the meantime, we understand there are inadequate pay phones in the country."

Pay phone maintenance is also poor, meaning some of them do not function when needed, he added.

According to Muljo and Hadi, innovative services are necessary for operators to lure customers.

Raya Pertiwi Semesta, owned by PT Lyman Investindo, a subsidiary of Satya Djaya Raya group, and NTT International Corporation of Japan, currently has some 40,000 users, Muljo said.

He said Multipage offered various services, including Jakarta's traffic information between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. and again between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., as well as financial and general information services to its subscribers.

Hadi said SkyTel served international roaming services to 22 nations all over the world, reachable to subscribers almost anywhere.

Skytelindo is owned by PT Indokom Primanusa, Singapore Telecommunications International and Mtel Corporate of the United States. (icn)