Excelcomindo builds largest microcell network
Excelcomindo builds largest microcell network
Private global system for mobile (GSM) operator PT
Excelcomindo Pratama is handling the installation of a 15.5-
kilometer microcell network in the capital's Golden Triangle to
improve its coverage service in Jakarta.
Excelcomindo's President Y.W. Junardy said that this is the
largest microcell network ever installed by any cellular
operator. Microcells are usually used by cellular operators, but
this is the first time a total of 27 microcells are being
installed in a continuous network. GSM-XL's microcell network is
named Microcell-XL, and started its operation at the end of
August.
Junardy said that the project was necessary to improve GSM-
XL's coverage in the Golden Triangle, which is the major business
district in the capital.
Excelcomindo, which goes by the brand name GSM-XL, is one of
the three GSM operators in Indonesia. The company is supplied by
Ericsson to install the microcell network.
A GSM network consists of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) and
Base Station Controller (BSC). The BSC is supported by three
kinds of Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) known as the Macrocell,
Microcell and Picocell.
The differences between Macrocells, Microcells and Picocells
are their coverage capabilities due to their hardware
configuration.
In a block containing dozens of buildings, for instance, a
macrocell is used. A microcell is installed to support coverage
between four buildings within a block. To make better coverage in
a building, a picocell is installed inside.
Microcells are indeed suitable for the characteristics of
Jakarta's central business district -- the Golden Triangle --
which is categorized as a dense urban area.
In the Golden Triangle, which is thick with high-rise
buildings, Microcells can assist in providing in-building
coverage in lower floors and in improving call quality.
For GSM-XL, the first phase of microcells have been installed
along Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said, JL. Imam Bonjol,
Jl. Kapten Tendean and Senopati, and will cover other important
areas in future phases.
Junardy said that each of the microcells was installed within
a radius of between 500 meters and 1 kilometer of each other.
"With the microcell network, coverage in the Golden Triangle
will be three to four times bigger in terms of capacity," he
said.
GSM-XL, which currently serves 107,000 customers, will expand
its service to many other areas in Indonesia as part of its plan
to provide service nationwide.
Junardy said that 60 percent of its users were located in the
greater Jakarta area. "That's why we have to improve our services
in Jakarta.
"The microcell network would offer continuous coverage," he
said.
"More microcells also means more capacity, therefore,
successful mobility from one microcell to another," he said.
Now, GSM-XL users are able to roam in more than 24 countries,
with 36 overseas GSM operators in Australia, Britain, Hong Kong,
Thailand, the Netherlands, the Philippines and Singapore etc.
Service improvement is important to enable the company to
compete with other cellular telephone providers.
Excelcomindo is a joint venture owned by PT Telekomindo Prima
Bhakti, PT Santana Telekomindo, Nynex of the United States,
Japan's Mitsui and the Asian Infrastructure Fund.
In addition to the greater Jakarta area, GSM-XL already
operates in Surakarta, Yogyakarta and Semarang in Central Java,
and later this year, in Medan, North Sumatra.