Roaming fees canceled

Roaming fees canceled

JAKARTA (JP): Cellular operator PT Excelcomindo Pratama
canceled on Tuesday the implementation of roaming fees for its
prepaid services after receiving many objections from customers,
a senior executive said.

Excelcom's general manager for marketing, A. Putranto, said
that after announcing the imposition of roaming fees in April,
the company had received many protests from customers who
demanded continued free-roaming services.

"Also looking at the macroeconomic condition of the country
and of the cellular industry itself, we consider it wise to stop
implementing the roaming fees," he said at a media conference
here.

A roaming fee is usually charged for calls made or received
from outside the home area of the subscriber identity module
(SIM) card.

Putranto explained that the company maintained its "Xtra large
zone" tariff structure introduced in April. Under the new tariff
structure, for instance, Jakarta users are charged local call
rates for calls to Bogor. Normally, they are charged long
distance rates. (tnt)