Consumers needs to adjust to new phone access codes
Consumers needs to adjust to new phone access codes
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
For some people, adjusting to changes is a daunting task, even
for the smallest thing.
"I am already 81, I am used to using the 031 code whenever I
want to call my daughter in Surabaya," Tengku Siti Absiah, a
Jakarta citizen said, adding that having to memorize new codes
would take time.
Well, like it or not, within a five-year period, most
Indonesians who intend to make long-distance calls will have to
memorize different access codes, or at least have a new list of
them.
The government has set the deadline to revise the current "0"
prefix for area codes, such as 021 for Jakarta or 031 for
Surabaya, to accommodate more fixed-line operators.
"We are giving new long-distance operator Indosat the '011'
prefix and changing Telkom's code from '0' to '017'," Minister of
Information and Communications Sofyan A. Djalil said on Friday,
referring to state telecommunication firms PT Indosat and PT
Telkom.
He said that the government would give them a five-year period
to implement the changes.
The change in code would mean that, in the future, if one
makes a call from Jakarta to Surabaya, one would have to first
dial '01131' -- using Indosat -- or '01731' -- using Telkom --
instead of the usual '031'.
The '011' access code for Indosat will take effect starting
April 1 in Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Batam and Medan. However,
Telkom's '017' would not be immediately available, with the
operator asking for a gradual implementation period citing the
significant funds it has to aside to make the adjustment.
"The new access codes could not be fully implemented now as
there have not been enough announcements of the change made to
public, and operators need to change hardware and software to
adjust to the changes," Sofyan said.
Indonesia's largest telecommunications company PT Telkom
previously reported that it had to allocate Rp 3.5 trillion on
gadget changes and campaigns to make the change.
However big the sacrifice the company claimed it had to make,
the change should serve as good news for consumers as, with more
players expected to come in, they would have more options, better
services and eventually better prices, the minister said. (003)