Inmarsat gets earth station

Inmarsat gets earth station

JAKARTA (JP): The state-owned international telecommunications operator, PT Indosat, is currently constructing an earth station for the International Maritime Satellite (Inmarsat) in Jatiluhur, West Java.

The earth station is expected to support the company's satellite telecommunications services.

Indosat's commercial director, Bambang Sulistyo, said here yesterday that the operation of the earth station, worth Rp 11 billion (US$4.9 million), will start in the fourth quarter of this year.

He said that in addition to the Inmarsat A and Inmarsat C systems, there are two other generations of Inmarsat services applied in Indonesia, including Inmarsat B and Inmarsat M, which are utilized for both voice and data telecommunication from any point on land, in the air and on the sea all over the world.

Inmarsat, operating its own telecommunications satellites, is a Britain-based international organization which groups 75 signatories, including Indosat.

Bambang said that Inmarsat B and Inmarsat M are useful for executives working on oil exploration projects, shipping firms and other businesses in remote places.

There are currently 49 users of the Inmarsat A and Inmarsat C systems, 20 users of the Inmarsat B and Inmarsat M systems and three users of the Inmarsat aeronautical service. (icn)