More radio paging firms to operate nationally

JAKARTA (JP): The government has set a new regulation which allows 10 operators to serve national radio paging service networks, a market which is expected to grow rapidly in this area.

Director General of Post and Telecommunications Djakaria Purawidjaja told reporters here yesterday that the new regulation was set last month after a government study concluded that the market for radio paging subscribers will increase in the coming years.

"There were only some 100,000 radio paging subscribers throughout the country in 1992, which rose to 300,000 this year. There are about 50 radio paging operators, 45 of which are licensed to operate locally or within the boundaries of particular cities. Of the total, 37 operate in Jakarta," he said.

He is optimistic that number of subscribers will increase to one million, or even two million, by the end of 1995.

He said that in Hong Kong, with a population of only six million, there are already 1.3 million radio paging subscribers.

Meanwhile, Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave told the Commission V of the House of Representative yesterday that high school students will be encouraged to subscribe to cheaper radio paging services which will charge small monthly fees of around Rp 5,000.

According to Djakaria, he will license five more operators to run radio paging services nationally.

Currently there are five firms licensed to operate nationally: PT Telematrixindo which operates EasyCall, PT Persada Komindo which operates Nusa Page and PT SkyTelindo which operates Skytel. The other two are Starpage of PT Duta Pertiwi Santosa and Indolink of PT Indolink First Pacific.

Djakaria said that executives of radio paging operators will hold a meeting next month to establish an association in hopes of maintaining fair competition among them.

"The association will be the partner for the government in deciding policies about the utilization of frequencies, price competition and other related affairs, " he said.

The government threatens to revoke the licenses of radio paging companies which operate simulcasts with a power capacity greater than their licenses allow.

Government rules state that local paging firms are allowed to use simulcasts with a maximum power capacity covering a radius of only 40 kilometers.

Djakaria also said that the government has yet to establish any guidelines as to how many operators will be licensed to operate internationally.

"I don't think there is any operator ready for such business. International roaming for radio paging will have to consider three main aspects such technology, prospective business and legality," he said.

SkyTelindo and Telematrixindo have recently advertised that they will expand their roaming services to the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and Poland. (icn)