PT Indosat to introduce 007 for int'l calls
PT Indosat to introduce 007 for int'l calls
JATILUHUR, West Java (JP): The country's international telecommunications firm PT Indosat will introduce 007, the new access code for international calls using the International Maritime Satellite (Inmarsat) services.
Indosat's manager of product management, Ilham Loekito Poetranto, said that the new services are available through the Inmarsat B and Inmarsat M systems.
Inmarsat services are set for both voice and data telecommunication from any point on land, in the air and on the sea all over the world. Inmarsat B is designed for telex, facsimile, data and voice communications, while Inmarsat M is just for facsimile, data and voice.
"A land earth station (LES) for the services is already set up here" Ilham said.
Indosat operates its main earth station facility in Jatiluhur, Purwakarta, which was prepared in 1967. The facility has seven antennas -- the JAH 1A (27 meters in diameter), JAH 2A (32 meters), JAH 3A (18 meters), JAH 4A (188 meters), JAH 5A (18.3 meters), JAH 6M (13 meters) and SB Palapa (7 meters).
Through the new LES, Indosat will not have to depend on similar facilities in other countries, Ilham said.
Subscribers within the Indian Ocean region, one of the four space segments covered by Inmarsat, can use the 007 access code (followed with 00, country/area codes and telephone number) to make voice, data, facsimile and telex communications with a digital system to all over the world.
Inmarsat, operating its own telecommunications satellites, is a Britain-based international organization grouping 78 signatories all over the world, including Indosat which joined it in 1987.
Inauguration
The operation of the Jatiluhur earth station, worth US$5 million, will be introduced on Nov. 28 and is scheduled to be inaugurated by President Soeharto on Dec. 6.
Ilham said that Inmarsat B and Inmarsat M will help communications for those involved in oil exploration projects, as well as shipping firms and other businesses in remote places.
"This is a new strategic business for Indosat, which will hopefully net higher revenues in the coming years," he said.
Indosat holds 0.26 percent interest in Inmarsat. The annual rates of Indosat's investment recovery from Inmarsat were 14 percent in 1992, 18 percent in 1993 and 17 percent in 1994.
"The Inmarsat B and Inmarsat M services are also helpful for the government in conducting maritime and scientific researches," Ilham said.
The price of portable terminals for Inmarsat B and Inmarsat M range between Rp 20 million (US$8,722) and Rp 50 million.
Interested parties wishing to purchase the facility should visit the offices of the Directorate General of Post and Telecommunications and the Directorate General of Sea Transportation.
Calling charges for Inmarsat B range between US$4.15 and $8 per minute (during peak hours) and for Inmarsat M between $4.1 and $7.2 per minute.
In addition to the Inmarsat B and Inmarsat M systems, there are two other generations of Inmarsat services applied in Indonesia through Indosat, including the Inmarsat A and Inmarsat C.
There are already about 100 users of the Inmarsat B and Inmarsat M systems within the Indian Ocean region and some 50 users of the Inmarsat A and Inmarsat C systems, Ilham said.
He said that in 1996, the number of subscribers is expected to increase by 30 percent. (icn)