New public phone charges

New public phone charges

JAKARTA (JP): The government has set new rates for public
telephone calls, effective since Jan. 1.

The state-owned domestic telecommunications company PT Telkom
now applies different charges at different times of day to long
distance calls made from public card phones.

Under the new arrangement, long distance calls from public
card telephones will be charged at a rate of 100 percent between
6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., 125 percent
between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., 50 percent between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m.
and 25 percent between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Charges for calls from public coin telephones have also been
changed. For calls made between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. one pulse now
lasts for two minutes. For calls outside business hours one pulse
lasts for three minutes. Charges are based on the number of
pulses occurring during a call.

The new rates for calls from public telephones are part of the
new charges introduced recently by the government, which include
lower rates for long distance calls and the installation of new
telephone lines.(icn)