Government may review 3-digit phone numbers

JAKARTA (JP): A number of radio paging operators may lose their licenses on the use of three-digit telephone numbers as the government will review the facility which was provided by the domestic telecommunications operator PT Telkom.

"It's Telkom which provided the three-digit phone numbers to certain companies. But starting this year, based on a regulation called fundamental technical plan, effected early this year, it's only the Directorate General of Post and Telecommunications which is authorized to do so," Secretary-General of the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Jonathan L. Parapak told reporters yesterday.

He acknowledged that a number of radio paging operators in Jakarta are adopting three-digit telephone numbers, while the other operators are not.

"Such a condition will cause unfair competition," he said.

There are currently more than 70 radio paging operators in Indonesia, half of which are located in Jakarta. Of the total operators in Jakarta, three have the facility of having three- digit telephone numbers, including PT SkyTelindo (131), PT Motorollain Corporation (135) and PT Santika Wira Yuda (138). The other operators have regular telephone numbers which are generally seven digits.

"It's better if the radio paging operators use normal numbers but easy to remember ones," he said.

Meanwhile, Director General of Post and Telecommunications Djakaria Purawidjaja said that such an issue should be viewed carefully.

He said that the three-digit telephone numberings should actually be applied to important services such as emergency unit, police stations, fire brigades and other major social facilities.

He said that the Jakarta police station's telephone number was even changed from 110 to 5250110 in the 1980s.

"So, there are two possibilities after the government reviews the three-digit telephone numberings, whether the existing three- digit telephone numbers will be changed or maintained," Djakaria said.

The state-owned international telecommunications operator PT Indosat has three services with three-digit telephone numbers, being 101, 104 and 001, while PT Satelindo applies 008. Other existing three-digit phone numbers operated by Telkom include 163 (for AIDS information), 108, 106, 102 (telephone information), 100 (long distance call operator), 109, 162, 178 (service information) and 103 (local time). (icn)