Pos, Mitra sign contracts with PSN

JAKARTA (JP): PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN), Indonesia's first private satellite based telecommunications company, has awarded two contracts to use its Xpress Connection TM network.

The company's president, Adi R. Adiwoso, said yesterday one contract went to PT Mitra Global Telekomunkasi Indonesia to lease initially 60 Xpress Connection TM terminals.

The other contract was signed with PT Pos Indonesia to provide telecommunications services at Indonesia's 4,700 post offices.

"We are experiencing a great deal of interest concerning this innovative and economical VSAT network, which leads us to believe that the pent up demand for telecommunications services in rural areas is far greater than what the industry had anticipated. We're pushing full steam ahead to deploy the Xpress Connection TM terminals and meet this demand as efficiently as possible," he said.

He said there were roughly 30,000 villages in Indonesia that had no access to any phone or telecommunications services.

Under the agreement with PT Pos, Xpress Connection TM terminals will be offered through Post Service networks to areas not serviced by any other system.

"This is an integral part of PSN's established strategy to respond to the enormous demand for telecommunications infrastructure in this country, as well as in the rest of Asia, with satellite-based solutions," he said.

The Express Connection TM terminals, developed with Titan Corporation subsidiary Titan Information Systems, are small, economical, lightweight and easy to install in remote areas.

The terminals are reliable, use little power and can be used with solar power systems when other power sources are not available.

For a flat monthly fee, PSN offers the Xpress Connection TM terminals as public calling offices in remote places that need cheap voice and data communications services.

The system, which communicates via the Palapa C2 satellite, will provide cheap data and fax communications through private networks. (bnt)