More companies applying for PCN licenses
More companies applying for PCN licenses
JAKARTA (JP): At least 120 companies have applied for the
government's licenses to provide Personal Communication Network
(PCN) services in the country, sources said.
A source at the Ministry of Tourism, Post and
Telecommunications said yesterday that the number of applicants
had been increasing steadily, though the government had not yet
officially announced when the tender for such a business will be
opened.
The source, who requested anonymity, said that the applicants
will first undergo prequalifications before participating in the
open tender, which will be the first ever held in the country's
cellular telecommunications history.
Telecommunications analysts believe that the government will
launch the tender later this year to pick up several PCN
operators.
PCN is the next generation of the digital wireless telephone
system that uses light, inexpensive handsets with long battery
life to communicate via low-power antenna.
The new generation of digital mobile cellular
telecommunications includes the Personal Communications System
and the Digital Cordless System (DCS-1800) from Europe, the
Personal Handy-phone Service (PHS) developed by Japan, and the
Code Division Multiple Access technology from the United States.
The country currently uses three different cellular mobile
telecommunications systems provided by seven different operators
serving some 300,000 users.
The digital Global System for Mobile Telecommunications (GSM),
the most recent system introduced in the country, is operated by
PT Telkomsel, PT Satelindo and PT Excelcomindo.
The Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS), the analog system
introduced earlier, is operated by PT Metrosel Nusantara, PT
Telekomindo and PT Komselindo. The third system applied in
Indonesia is the Nordic Mobile Telephone, the analog service
primarily installed in vehicles run by PT Mobisel.
Indonesia has also the Cordless Telephone system, run by PT
Telepoint, which is improvable into Digital Enhanced Cordless
Telephone.
"The government is likely to choose several PCN operators to
operate in the country, as the investments for such a service
will be very expensive," the source said.
According to the source, PHS and DCS-1800 are the systems most
likely to be adopted by the government in the personal network
system.
He said that the government is currently preparing PHS pilot
project in Surabaya, East Java and a DCS-1800 system project in
Jakarta involving the state-owned telecommunications manufacturer
PT Inti and the state-owned international telecommunications
carrier PT Indosat in cooperation with several foreign firms.
Meanwhile, secretary-general of the Ministry of Tourism, Post
and Telecommunications, Jonathan L. Parapak, said recently that
any new PCN providers will be required to work with the state-
owned telecommunications operators just like the seven existing
cellular providers.
He said that based on the country's telecommunications law,
PCN is categorized as a basic service, so that such a service
must be run by state-owned companies.
Private operators are only allowed to operate in such services
under a joint operation with state-owned telecommunication
companies such as PT Telkom and PT Indosat. (icn)