Kalimantan to get 300,000 phone lines

BALIKPAPAN, East Kalimantan (JP): State telecommunications company PT Telkom will begin control of Kalimantan's operations from here early next year.

PT Telkom will be moving its local office from Banjar Baru in the southern part of the island.

The chief of Telkom's office in Kalimantan, Panut, told The Jakarta Post that telecommunications in Balikpapan have grown significantly, making it one of the cities in the country with the highest rate in phone calls-- an average of 1,200 pulses per month per person."

He also said that Telkom, which has installed 118,000 telephone lines in Kalimantan this year, will install another 300,000 lines on the island next year.

"Telkom's revenue in Kalimantan is likely to reach Rp 163 billion (US$74.2 million) this year and to increase to Rp 211 billion next year," he said, adding that Telkom has decided to choose Balikpapan as the head office of its Kalimantan division.

Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave visited the Telkom complex on Tuesday.

Panut said that the 30-hectare complex includes a head office, sport center, houses, a warehouse, workshop and other facilities.

Telkom's president, Setyanto P. Santosa, said recently that as a part of its restructuring program, his company will establish eight divisions dealing with the company's core business, to replace the existing 12 chapters now operating throughout the country.

Setyanto said that the divisions will be located in Medan of North Sumatra, Jakarta and Bandung of West Java, Semarang of Central Java, Surabaya of East Java, Balikpapan of East Kalimantan and Ujungpandang of South Sulawesi.

The other division will focus on satellite, long distance calls and network businesses, he said.

In a recent hearing with legislators of the House of Representatives in Jakarta, Setyanto said that Telkom will also set up three related business divisions -- dealing with cellular telecommunications, pay-phones and joint ventures -- and five supporting business divisions which will deal with training, property, repairing and research.

The restructuring program is part of the company's plan to offer shares both on domestic and international stock markets. (icn)