Multimedia project continues amid crisis
Multimedia project continues amid crisis
JAKARTA (JP): The country's ambitious multimedia project to
link the archipelago with information technology and superhighway
networks would continue as scheduled despite the currency crisis,
an official said Wednesday.
The secretary-general of the Ministry of Tourism, Post and
Telecommunications, Jonathan L. Parapak, said there would be some
revisions and adjustments to the Nusantara 21 project due to the
currency crisis, which had hit Indonesia since last July.
However, he said adjustments would not affect the project's
schedule because most parts of the project were already underway.
"Among related projects to continue are satellite and fiber
optic networks," he said.
Adjustments would take place in the form of the selection of
cities to be linked with the information technology
infrastructure and superhighway networks, he said.
Due to the monetary upheaval, the government has decided to
cancel indefinitely the licensing of 11 new cellular operators.
The new cellular licenses were originally scheduled to be awarded
late last year.
Nusantara 21's plans include the development of multimedia
technology in several big cities and wideband superlanes by 2001.
The project will be implemented in various stages.
In the first phase, the project will link the country's 27
provincial capitals with connections appropriate to each
province's economic development plan.
All existing telecommunications infrastructure, including
satellites, conventional and terrestrial cables, submarine cables
and terrestrial radio links, are to be linked to the new massive
telecommunications network.
"Infrastructure development has been completed in Jakarta. Big
cities in Kalimantan, Sumatra and Sulawesi will soon have such
networks," Parapak said.
He said Jakarta would be a multimedia city by 1999.
"A multimedia city means the city will have a service capacity
in wideband superlanes next year," he said.
After the capital, Medan, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta,
Denpasar, Ujungpandang, Batam, Kuala Kencana and Balikpapan would
also become multimedia cities, he said.
When the plan was announced in late 1996, the government
estimated that Nusantara 21, which would involve both private and
government participation, would cost at least Rp 33 trillion
(US$4.7 billion).
Nusantara 21 will include the archipelago superlane,
multimedia cities and Nusantara multimedia community access
centers. The archipelago superlane will connect the 27 provincial
capitals with backbone transmission facilities.
Multimedia cities will cover big and small cities' commercial
and economic centers with fiber optics and medium and wide-band
facilities. The number of multimedia cities will increase
gradually into a "telecommuting", long-distance system.
Nusantara multimedia community access centers are set to
provide broadband pay phones, broadband business centers,
multimedia community kiosks and network e-libraries.
Major cities and district capitals should be hooked up by
2001. By that time, educational and cultural, health, trade,
research and scientific, tourist, public service and governmental
applications should be sufficiently developed to benefit from the
telecommunications highway. (icn)