Company introduces GSM telephone rental
Company introduces GSM telephone rental
JAKARTA (JP): The rapid development of digital cellular mobile telecommunications in Indonesia has created a new business opportunity -- telephone rental service.
A private company, PT Dipa Prabu Viriya, has introduced a rental service under the brand name of Phone Rent, which allows people to use the global system for mobile communications (GSM) telephones by paying daily or monthly fees.
"We started the business early this month with only 30 handsets. During the first month of operation we listed about 40 customers," the company's technical advisor, Arnaud Brandt, told The Jakarta Post yesterday.
He said that the service will focus on expatriates and visitors as customers.
Rental fees range between US$15 and $37.50 per day and between $165 and $450 per month, depending on the length of the rental periods. Customers are required to have credit cards and to put an advanced deposit of $1,000.
When returning the handsets, customers will get their $1,000 deposits back and will have to pay monthly or daily fees, while their calling fees will be charged after their figures are calculated by the GSM operators.
Brandt said that Phone Rent is a branch of an international company based in the Netherlands.
"The Phone Rent started in the Netherlands three years ago. In addition to Indonesia, the business has now reached Singapore, Hong Kong and Beijing. We will expand in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Taipei next year," he said.
In Indonesia, after launching the business in Jakarta and Bandung in West Java, Phone Rent expects to expand its business to Bali, Surabaya in East Java and Medan in North Sumatra in 1996, he said.
Satelindo
According to Brandt, Phone Rent currently cooperates with PT Satelindo, one of the country's three GSM operators.
Cooperation will also be established with other operators, depending on the areas of operations, he said.
Satelindo now operates in Jakarta and is preparing to expand to West and East Java. Meanwhile, PT Telkomsel, which started its business in Sumatra, expects to enter Jakarta next year after expanding in West Nusa Tenggara, and East and West Jakarta.
The two operators plan to enter Central Java in December.
In a related development, Satelindo's spokesman, Eddy Thoyib, said here yesterday that the company is activating a total of 70 additional base transceiver stations in the greater Jakarta area this month and in December.
He said that 21 stations had been installed in Pamulang, Menteng, Dukuh Atas, Cempaka, Citra Raya, Tiga Raksa, Kemang Pratama, Parung and Cibubur, all of which are in Jakarta.
Other stations to be activated in December are located in Jatiuwung, Cilandak Timur, Kosambi, Duren Sawit, Cipinang, Ciledug, Tebet, Jembatan Besi, Pasar Rebo, Sawangan, Cakung and Gunung Putri, also all in Jakarta, he said.
According to Eddy, Satelindo already has international roaming services for Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and Germany.
Satelindo currently lists some 80,000 subscribers in Jakarta, and West and East Java, while Telkomsel has some 16,000 subscribers in Riau, North and West Sumatra, East and West Java, Bali and West Nusa Tenggara. (icn)