Lintasarta launches online payment gateway

JAKARTA (JP): Data communications provider PT Aplikanusa Lintasarta launched on Wednesday a new on-line payment gateway offering authorized real time payment service amid the lack of trust on virtual transaction security from many local net users.

Company president Adeng Achmad said the service might be utilized more by companies involved in business-to-business e- commerce rather than individual Internet users in the customer-to-business application due to people's distrust of the safety of virtual payment system.

He said the company's gateway, www.bayaronline.com, was using the Secure Socket Layer system to protect the security of data on customers' credit cards as well as the entire payment records.

"Our on-line payment gateway is safe and secure. We have been conducting electronic bank payments for sometime now," he said at the ceremony to mark the launching of the gateway.

Adeng said Lintasarta's core business provides data communications through VSAT and frame relay, and he is upbeat about the prospect of its new business, expecting at least 100 merchants will sign up with the service during the six months of operation.

There are currently fewer than seven web sites, including Lintasarta's www.bayaronline,com, that offer real time on-line payment service for e-commerce.

www.bayaronline.com is already partnering with state owned air carrier Merpati Nusantara for on-line ticket purchases and on- line merchants pointAhead.com and Supermall-200.com. It also cooperates with Bank Danamon and Bank Universal as acquiring banks.

Customers with credit or debit cards under VISA or Mastercard brands issued by banks other than Danamon and Universal can also pay for their goods through the gateway.

Company director of commerce Wityasmoro Handajanto said that Lintasarta, which was a subsidiary of state owned telecoms firm PT Indosat, has allocated US$3 million to develop the gateway.

He said the company was upbeat about its new business, expecting to meet the break even point in three years.

The number of Internet users in Indonesia who will make purchases through e-commerce will reach around 70,000 this year and swell to 600,000 by 2003, according to the U.S.-based telecoms and IT research firm, International Data Corporation. (cst)