How much longer can beeper operators go?
How much longer can beeper operators go?
JAKARTA (JP): The recent breakthrough of three local GSM
operators in introducing a joint SMS service have undoubtedly
boosted message sending via cellular phones in the country.
But one party is left behind: radio paging operators.
Many firmly believe that beeper operators will soon close
their doors following the latest lethal attack by GSM operators.
Operators of radio paging, or beepers, a one-way
communications tool, which can only receive written messages,
have indeed faced various challenges in maintaining their
subscribers due to, among other things, the inferior image
suffered by beepers after the launch of cellular phones in
Indonesia.
With the latest attack, many say any service offered by beeper
operators will not be able to lure new customers or even halt old
ones from leaving.
But surviving beeper operators quickly dismiss such
skepticism. According to them, beepers still has some advantages
over cellular phones in sending messages.
Silvester Winarto of PT Duta Pertiwi Santosa, which operates
Starpage, doubted that all GSM users would want to use the joint
SMS facility which was introduced last week.
"There are about three million GSM users (out of some 4.2
cellular phone users) in Indonesia. I don't think all of them are
interested in using SMS as they have to type in each character.
"It takes time. It's easier in the radio paging service where
an operator is called to send a message.
"In addition, radio pagers and GSM operators have different
markets, so we are optimistic that we will survive," he said.
He said his company offered free information as a value-added
service to its subscribers.
"This includes information on foreign exchange, traffic, signs
of the zodiac, short news, and movies showing at cinemas. It's
free," he said.
He said there were currently about 55,000 people subscribing
to Starpage.
He admitted the number was now stable after a significant drop
three or four years ago due to the popularity of cellular phones.
Agreeing with Silvester, Nanang Wahyudiono of Starko said
since beepers and cellular phones were different products, they
should not be compared.
Starko, run by PT Motorollain Corporation, which is the
country's leading beeper operator, began its business in 1976.
"There's been a significant drop, but traffic remains high,"
he said, adding that some 1.2 million messages are sent per
month.
He said the joint SMS facility introduced by the GSM providers
was the result of development in information technology,
therefore nobody could stop it.
"The radio paging operators will strongly object if GSM
providers provide personal operators in their SMS service because
it is aimed for individual usage, not via operators," he said.
The public may have considered beepers less fashionable than
mobile phones as the former is only a one-way telecommunications
tool.
Beeper operators have launched various services to maintain
existing users. Among the services is a facility which allows
Internet users to send direct messages to beeper users in
Indonesia without going through the pager operator.
Although cellular phones dominate the telecommunications
market in Indonesia, beepers will likely remain as a
complementary option.
-- I. Christianto