Pramindo wins certificate

JAKARTA (JP): PT Pramindo Ikat Nusantara, a joint venture between France Telecom, the Astra Group and two other local partners, yesterday received its inter-connection test certificate in Medan, North Sumatra.

The certificate, delivered by Director General of Post and Telecommunications Djakaria Purawidjaja to Pramindo's president Mrs. Nuryana Prasetyo, was the first one awarded to any of the five private consortia holding 15-year joint operation contracts with the state-owned domestic telecommunications operator PT Telkom.

Under the contract signed last year, Pramindo, which is 59 percent owned by Astratel Nusantara, a subsidiary of the publicly-listed Astra International, will manage the 700,000 fixed telephone lines already installed by Telkom and will install around 517,000 new lines within the next three years.

Telkom will receive a minimum revenue of Rp 514 billion (approximately US$220 million) this year from Pramindo as compensation for the operation of its existing telephone networks in Sumatra, plus 30 percent of the profit to be made from the operation of the telecommunications networks.

Pramindo, using DRA 1900 equipment supplied by Ericsson AB of Sweden, demonstrated yesterday its telephone facilities in Binjai, a small town near Medan. (icn)