PT Satelindo expands to Sumatra and Sulawesi

PT Satelindo expands to Sumatra and Sulawesi

JAKARTA (JP): Private telecommunications operator PT Satelindo
will launch its Global System for Mobile communication (GSM)
cellular services tomorrow in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi,
Medan, North Sumatra and Palembang, South Sumatra.

The company's cellular director, Saleh Gunawan, said yesterday
that Satelindo had spent Rp 30 billion (US$12.7 million)
installing base transceiver stations (BTS) in 16 locations in
Medan and eight locations each in Palembang and Ujungpandang.

He said that, besides Medan, coverage in North Sumatra
included Padangbulan, Matsum, Berayan, Cinta Damai, Lubuk Pakam,
Tebing Tinggi and Simarjarunjung.

Coverage in North Sulawesi included Kima, Mariso, Mandai,
Sungguminasa and Maros, while networks in South Sumatra covered
Bukitbunga, Seberang Ulu, Lapangan Golf, RRI Radio Station, Plaju
and Indra Raya, he said.

"By early March Satelindo will operate its GSM service in the
country's 27 provinces. By the end of this year, we will have
installed 1,000 BTS," Saleh said after attending the opening of
the company's sales and customer care center in Artha Graha
building at the Sudirman Central Business District yesterday.

Satelindo, which competes with PT Telkomsel and PT
Excelcomindo for subscribers to GSM, has about 200,000
subscribers. At least 600,000 people, who have a choice of three
systems, have subscribed to cellular services in Indonesia.

Satelindo president Iwa Sewaka said his company had invested
Rp 9 billion in the new 700-square-meter sales and customer care
center on Jl. Sudirman.

"We want to be a customer driven company, so we prepared this
place to provide better services," he said.

Corporate director of customer care Laurenn Cook said that
Satelindo wanted to be the leader for customer service in
Southeast Asia.

Satelindo -- which is owned by PT Bimagraha Telekomindo, DeTe
Mobil of Germany, the state-owned PT Telkom and PT Indosat --
operates a GSM system, the Palapa-C satellite series and an
international telecommunications services.

The company, which will celebrate its 4th birthday tomorrow,
plans to float some of its shares by mid-1998. (icn)