Nokia committed to developing mobile Internet in RI

Nokia committed to developing mobile Internet in RI

By Sylvia Gratia M. Nirang

HONGKONG (JP): Finnish mobile communications company Nokia has
said it is committed to developing the mobile Internet, using
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) technology in Indonesia.

Nokia Mobile Phones senior vice president for Asia Pacific
Nigel Litchfield told The Jakarta Post that Nokia saw great
prospects in developing WAP in Indonesia.

"The number of cellular and Internet users in Indonesia is
still small, but the development we have seen in past years is
very encouraging," he said on the sidelines of the launch of
Nokia designed for life products here last week.

There are less than 2.5 million cellular phone users, about 6
million fixed line telephone subscribers and some 2 million
computer users among Indonesia's total population of 210 million.

Litchfield said he was optimistic that the numbers would grow
rapidly in the next couple of years.

The number of mobile Internet users in Indonesia was expected
to reach about 2.6 million, or about 20 percent of the total
mobile phone users projected in 2004, according to state
telecommunications operator PT Telkom.

"That's why we have continued to launch our WAP-enabled
products in Indonesia, although we know that Indonesia is not
ready yet," he said. "It is also to ensure that we are ready to
supply WAP phones when Indonesia is ready to adopt WAP."

WAP is a new global, open standard for handheld devices that
will allow users to access on-line services without having to
plug into a laptop computer.

WAP was initially introduced and developed in the late 1990s
by mobile telecommunications system companies, including Nokia,
Ericsson and Motorola, with the intention to open a mass market
wireless Internet service.

Earlier this year, Nokia launched its Nokia 7110 phone in
Indonesia. The product has claimed to be the world's first media
phone that is based on WAP.

It is designed for easy access to Internet content from a
mobile phone. It can access text information that is available on
the Internet. This means news, weather reports, stock prices, e-
mails, flight schedules or wireless banking and electronic
commerce.

Litchfield acknowledged that growth of mobile Internet and WAP
technology use might be slower in some countries, including
Indonesia, due to the lack of access to the Internet and mobile
phones.

One of the main obstacles in developing WAP in Indonesia is
the unreadiness of cellular operators and Internet content
providers in the country, he said.

But he added that to speed up the entrance of WAP in
Indonesia, Nokia was helping Indonesian cellular operators by
introducing WAP technology.

"We are helping Indonesian Global System for Mobile
Communications (GSM) operators by providing them with studies on
developing WAP technology in order to embark on mobile Internet
service," he said.

There are three existing GSM operators in the country, namely
Telkomsel, Satelindo and Excelcomindo.

However, he suggested network operators to cooperate with
content providers and vendors of infrastructures in order to be
able to establish a complete service at a more reasonable cost.

Helping Indonesia adopt WAP technology was part of Nokia's
commitment in developing WAP to pave the way for a mobile
information society, he said.

Litchfield said in the future most mobile phones launched by
Nokia would be WAP-enabled, such as the Nokia 6250 and the Nokia
6210 launched at the Nokia designed for life.

"The mobile Internet will be the major driven factor in its
business development in the future. It brings significant
business opportunities to us, given the robust growth of cellular
and Internet users in the world," he said.

But aside from introducing WAP-enabled phones, Nokia will
still continue selling its phones which are not WAP-enabled
because of their high demand in several markets, including
Indonesia's.

"We are very pleased with our sales in Indonesia over the past
two years and we see that our sales here have continued to grow
this year. Indonesia is one of the key markets for Nokia. It has
a very high population, a population which is very acceptable for
new products and services," he said.

"Even in the time of economic crisis in 1998, our sales in
Indonesia increased albeit there had been a slowdown in growth of
cellular sales on the market."

Sources close to Nokia told the Post that sales of the Nokia
9110 communicator, a pocket-sized advanced communication device
which is designed as a mobile office for the affluent market, in
Indonesia in 1999 were recorded as the highest in Asia-Pacific,
despite its relatively high price.

According to data compiled by cell phone producers, the
industry's monthly sales in Indonesia significantly increased
from approximately 26,000 phones in 1997 to between 30,000 and
40,000 in 1998 and 70,000 in 1999.

New phones

Nokia launched two WAP-enabled phones at the Hong Kong
Convention and Exhibition Center last week.

The Nokia 6250 is a dust, shock and waterproof WAP-compliant
phone designed for the outdoors and a rugged environment.

It is complete with shock absorbers and other tough mechanics
to enable it to withstand a rough environment.

The phone is able to withstand temporary immersion in water
without any harmful effects. It is also able to take a fall from
a considerable height onto a hard surface.

Litchfield said the phone is combined with the Nokia WAP
Server 1.0, which enables outdoor enthusiasts to access weather
and news services while skiing, hiking or sailing.

"I am confident that this product will be of great interest
among outdoor professionals, field service personnel and
recreational or rugged hobbyists," Litchfield said.

The phone also comes complete with a sound level meter,
stopwatch and an automatic volume control, which keeps the
speaker volume at an optimum level depending on the environmental
noise.

Weighing 167 grams and at 159cc, the Nokia 6250 has a talk
time of up to 4 hours and 30 minutes and a standby time of up to
260 hours.

The Nokia 6210 is a slim, ergonomically designed business
phone with WAP connectivity and high speed data modem capability,
offering data rates of up to 43.2 kbps.

Its built-in High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD) modem
allows up to a four-fold increase in data connectivity, enabling
faster e-mailing, web browsing and file transfer.

Weighing 114 grams and at 18mm thick, the phone offers talk
time of up to 4 hours and 30 minutes and standby time of up to
260 hours.

Litchfield said the phone was an evolution of the Nokia 6100
series, one of the most popular Nokia phones in Indonesia.

He said the two phones would enter the Indonesian market in
the third quarter of this year.

He said Nokia would also upgrade its Nokia 9110 communicator
to be WAP-compliant later this year.