Cellular phones

I refer to the article: Ringing in the era of cellular phones in The Jakarta Post, Oct. 27, 1996.

If the adage "knowledge is power" holds true, then The Jakarta Post readers in the market for new cellular phones must be considered fairly weak. The reason: The information of most use to potential buyers -- the comparative chart outlining the various products and features -- was rather out-of-date. For example, the chart lists at least two phones that have been out of production for nearly a year.

At the same time, the chart fails to mention the only handphone available in this country with Bahasa Indonesia as one of its operating languages (Motorola 8500) and the phone with one of the longest talk and stand-by times on the market (Motorola 8700). The chart also omitted the lightest GSM cellular phone in the world, the Motorola GSM StarTAC which, at 110 grams, is 25 percent lighter than the next lightest phone on the chart (the Motorola 8200).

So, while I send my thanks for a welcome and comprehensive article on this exciting -- and sometimes confusing -- industry, I would also encourage you next time to go straight to the source (in this case, the cellular phone manufacturers) for information that will be most useful to your readers.

ROBERT VAN TILBURG

Operations Manager

Asia Pacific Cellular

Subscriber Division

PT Motorola Indonesia