New service to pamper prepaid simPATI cards

New service to pamper prepaid simPATI cards

JAKARTA (JP): The extraordinary expansion of Internet-enabled
cellular telephone facilities owes much to factors peculiar to
humankind, making consumers receptive to a handset-based online
experience.

To some extent, cellular phone users in Indonesia are already
able to browse and surf the Internet with their palm or pocket-
sized communication sets.

In a related step, PT Telkomsel, one of the country's three
operators of the Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications
service, will introduce another innovative feature that will
allow users of simPATI prepaid cards to refill their cards
electronically via the Internet.

The new facility, being prepared by Telkomsel in collaboration
with Interactive Mall2000 and CommerceNet, is expected to be
available in May. It will be accessible via www.telkomsel.com or
www.i-mall2000.com, where simPATI users can complete transactions
with their Visa or Master cards.

This is another attempt to pamper simPATI subscribers. Prepaid
card users are the rising stars for cellular providers, as their
numbers continue to increase dramatically. Telkomsel estimates
that prepaid products appeal more to customers with their
subscription-free and flexible pulse usage.

The new service over the Internet will indeed be easy. After
completing the registration and transaction at either the
Telkomsel or Interactive Mall2000 website, customers will get a
kind of bill called a "smart receipt".

Do not be surprised by the fact that there will be no voucher.
Yes, it is a wireless and paperless world. Instead of getting a
14-digit code which must be entered into the handset, the amount
of purchased credits will automatically be credited to customers'
cellular phones.

This new service, prepared by Telkomsel and supported by
Interactive Mall2000 and CommerceNet, is being introduced to
anticipate the proliferation of e-commerce in every type of
business transaction.

This system, which may well serve as a model for e-commerce,
is said to be the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.

Telkomsel currently has 1.1 million subscribers, 600,000 of
whom are simPATI users.

Sianny Gunawan of Interactive Mall2000 expects that some 10
percent of simPATI users will use this new service when it
becomes available.

This feature, just like other Internet-based services, greatly
relies on other factors, namely telephone lines, computer
literacy and Internet density. Security is also another important
aspect of this type of service.

Fixed-telephone lines in Indonesia total 6.08 million, or only
three lines for every 100 people nationwide. There are some 2.2
million cellular phone users in Indonesia.

Internet subscribers total 210,000, and there were one million
Internet users by the end of 1999. These figures are projected to
reach 390,000 and 1.4 million by the end of this year, and
500,000 subscribers with two million users in 2001.

There are some 50 Internet service providers covering some 100
cities in 26 provinces across the nation. Meanwhile, the PC
population was three million by last year.

With multimedia infrastructure projects planned in several
large cities in Indonesia, the number of Internet users is
expected to increase significantly, therefore Internet-based
services can also expect a brighter future.

Hopefully, users will enjoy this cyber-simPATI purchasing
service. In the meantime, Telkomsel, as well as other cellular
operators, will continue to offer customers new and innovative
services. (I. Christianto)