Mobile telephone business still open

Mobile telephone business still open

JAKARTA (JP): Opportunities in the country's lucrative
telecommunications industry are still wide open as the government
will soon set up technical guidelines on cheaper mobile telephone
businesses.

Director General of Post and Telecommunications Djakaria
Purawidjaja told reporters during a gathering for fast-breaking
on Thursday that the government is currently preparing guidelines
on the business of CT2, the second generation of the mobile
telephone system.

A company executive said the government promised to announce
the technical guidelines in April.

Djakaria said that the Ministry of Tourism, Post and
Telecommunications last year introduced a regulation on the
business.

"Actually the trial operation of CT2 was launched in Jakarta
last October, when Indonesia hosted the World Infrastructure
Forum," Djakaria said.

A Jakarta-based private firm, PT Telepoint Nusantara,
introduced CT2 in the Jakarta Convention Center complex last
November during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

He refused to say how many operators will be licensed to run
the mobile telephone businesses in the country once the new
guidelines are introduced.

"In a business and trade area like Jl. Gajah Mada in Central
Jakarta, for instance, one operator is needed," he said.

Telepoint's sales manager, Tito Tobing, said that his company
is interested in the business and will use Silverlink which comes
with a Motorola handset.

"There are two frequency spans utilized for CT2 including 861-
865 megahertz (Mhz) and 864-868 Mhz," he said, adding that his
company will order handsets from Motorola in Singapore, not from
Motorola's representative in Indonesia. (icn)