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.