PCS-1900 system to be tried in Yogyakarta in 1997
JAKARTA (JP): Mikrosel, a cooperative of small telecommunications firms, plans to begin a new cellular service pilot project in Yogyakarta early next year in cooperation with a local firm controlled by Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X.
The new secretary-general of the Indonesian Association of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Offices (APWI), Danny F. Poluan, said yesterday the Personal Communications System (PCS- 1900) would be tested in the trial.
PCS-1900 is a new generation of digital mobile telecommunications generically dubbed Personal Communication Network (PCN),
According to Poluan, who was installed with APWI's other new executives yesterday by Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave, the trial would affect some 2,000 users.
He said the trial would involve several APWI members, the state-owned domestic telecommunications provider PT Telkom and telecommunications equipment maker PT Inti.
The government is expected to open tenders for a number of PCN licenses early next year. Hundreds of consortia of overseas and domestic companies controlled by "high-level names", have expressed interest in tendering for the lucrative licenses.
PCN is the next generation of the digital wireless telephone systems that works between 1.8 gigahertz and 1.9 gigahertz and uses light, inexpensive handsets with long-life batteries to communicate via a low-powered antenna.
PCN includes the PCS-1900 and the Digital Cordless System (DCS-1800) from Europe, the Personal Handy-phone Service (PHS) developed by Japan, and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology from the United States.
The government has approved PHS pilot projects for PT Indoprima Mikroselindo in Surabaya, East Java, and DCS-1800 in Jakarta for PT Cellnet Nusantara and the Association of Retired Military Officers.
Indoprima is owned by state-owned PT Indosat, Inti, PT Yamabri Komunikasindo, a company controlled by the Foundation of Military Headquarters, and Primkopparpostel, a cooperative of the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications.
Inti, supervised by State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie, is running a PHS pilot project in Semarang, Central Java.
Cellnet is owned by tycoon Sudwikatmono, who is a foster brother of President Soeharto, and Siti Hutami Endang Adiningsih, one of the President's daughters.
Telkom
The country is adopting three different cellular mobile telecommunications systems provided by seven different operators, which are partly owned by Telkom.
Digital GSM, the newest system here, is operated by Telkomsel, PT Satelindo and PT Excelcomindo.
The Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS), an analog system introduced earlier, is operated by PT Metrosel Nusantara, PT Telekomindo and PT Komselindo. The third system is the Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT-450), an analog service mainly installed in vehicles run by PT Mobisel.
Indonesia also has the Cordless Telephone (CT-2) system, which can be converted into Digital Enhance Cordless Telephone (DECT) system. The CT-2 is run by PT Telepoint.
Separately yesterday, PT Citra Sari Makmur (CSM), a value- added telecommunications firm, handed over 25 percent of its shares worth Rp 5.3 billion (US$2.2 million) to Telkom.
Telkom said CSM runs under a joint operation arrangement with Telkom.
"By becoming a Telkom subsidiary, CSM will have a more favorable future as a business under a joint operation arrangement with Telkom for a limited period," CSM's president Subagio Wirjoatmodjo said yesterday.
CSM, which operates Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT), a micro earth-station communications service, is 25 percent owned by Telkom, 38.29 percent by Subagio Wirjoatmodjo and 36.71 percent by PT Bell Atlantic Indonesia. The company's authorized capital is Rp 75 billion, including paid-up capital of Rp 21.2 billion. (icn)