GSM services to expand

GSM services to expand

JAKARTA (JP): PT Excelcomindo Pratama, one of the three
operators of the global system for mobile communication (GSM) in
Indonesia, will expand its overseas roaming services.

Company president Julius S. Djohan said yesterday the new
facilities would allow Excelcomindo (GSM-XL) users roam in more
than 30 countries later this year.

"We will sign agreements with GSM operators mostly in Europe,"
he said.

Julius said GSM-XL users could already use their handsets in
seven countries. They are Australia, Britain, Hong Kong,
Thailand, the Netherlands, the Philippines and Singapore.

He said the service improvement was important to enable the
company to compete with other cellular telephone providers
because the government controlled prices.

Excelcomindo is the youngest of Indonesia's three GSM
operators. GSM, the most recent system introduced here, is also
operated by PT Telkomsel and PT Satelindo.

Excelcomindo is a joint venture owned by PT Telekomindo
Primabhakti (50 percent), PT Santana Telekomindo (10 percent),
Nynex Corp. of the United States (23.1 percent), Japan's Mitsui
(4.2 percent) and the Asian Infrastructure Fund (12.7 percent).

Julius said that to participate in Indonesia's
telecommunications development, Excelcomindo and Nynex had given
scholarships to 20 qualified students of Bandung Institute of
Technology and the Telkom Institute of Telecommunications, also
in Bandung, West Java.

He said the companies planned to give other scholarships to 10
students from reputable state-run technical institutions later
this year. (icn)