PT ACeS may expand to other regions: Joop

PT ACeS may expand to other regions: Joop

By I. Christianto

DENVER, Colorado, U.S. (JP): Minister of Tourism, Post and
Telecommunications Joop Ave said here Monday that satellite
operator PT Asia Cellular Satellite (ACeS) has the opportunity to
expand to other regions with low telephone density.

ACeS, which is owned by three Southeast Asian countries and
operates regionally in Asia, could develop similar projects in
Africa, Joop said when visiting the company's satellite
manufacturing facility at Lockheed Martin Astronautics.

"We have the expertise and technology," he said.

Joop is in the United States for a one-week visit to meet with
the World Bank and other parties and inspect satellite and
telecommunications projects involving Indonesian firms.

Several overseas officials including those from Vietnam,
Thailand and Bangladesh also participated in the visit to
Lockheed Martin facilities.

Joop said his office would have to prepare several regulatory
adjustments to meet telecommunications technologies which change
rapidly.

"Some legal basis is necessary for adjustment following the
rapid changes in telecommunications technologies like ACeS," he
said.

By 1999, ACeS will provide mobile, satellite-based fax and
data services throughout Asia using a handheld, dual-mode mobile
phone. High circuit capacity and voice quality are the foundation
of the ACeS system which will offer low cost per circuit and more
competitive rates per minute for users. The system complements
the region by providing services where existing terrestrial
cellular systems do not.

ACeS president Adi R. Adiwoso agreed that a lot of regulatory
issues are yet to be prepared not just in Indonesia, but also in
other nations where the services are available.

"This relates to the portability of the cellular phone. Users
will be able to buy and operate ACeS handheld devices and use the
services anywhere in the covered region," he said.

He said ACeS will also apply "paperless" registration and
administration, including billing payments. "Users will be able
to register and pay their bills from the handheld device."

He said his company had to set up the system to provide a more
convenient service to users.

"ACeS is designed to be used in areas such as the forest or
the sea where there is no electricity or banks," he said, adding
the system will facilitate users.

"The billing system is the most complicated thing for cellular
operators. We have to work to make this better."

ACeS, a US$700 million mobile geostationary satellite
telecommunications project, is owned by a joint venture company
equally owned by PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN) of Indonesia,
Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) of the Philippines and
Jasmine International of Thailand.

The system will use Garuda satellite and aim to serve up to
two million users in the area from India in the west to Indochina
in the east and from China in the north to Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members in the south.

Meanwhile, economic director of the planning department of
Vietnam's Department General of Posts and Telecommunications,
Nguyen Kien Cuong, and director of operations of the Telegraph
and Telephone Board of Bangladesh, Md. Manwar Ali, said they
would report on ACeS to their government.

"We now have a clear picture of ACeS, how it functions and
about the regulatory issues. We'll discuss it first but won't
promise anything because the time is not yet enough," Ali said,
describing the ACeS project as "fantastic".

Nguyen said he would do the same.

"ACeS will cover Vietnam and I'll report this matter to the
government. This visit is very important for us," he said.