Telecoms contract signed

SEMARANG, Central Java (JP): PT Mitra Global Telekomunikasi Indonesia, a private firm expected to install 400,000 lines in Central Java, signed here yesterday a US$32.55-million contract with PT Erindo Utama, the supplier of equipment made by Ericsson of Sweden.

Based on the contract, which was signed by Mitra Global's vice president, S.W.S. Hardjito, and Erindo's president, Fawzy Sidik, the former company will install 50,000 lines using Wireless Local Loop (WLL) technology supplied by the latter firm.

Mitra Global is one of the five private consortia which won 15-year joint operation contracts with the state-owned PT Telkom to develop and manage telecommunications networks until 2010.

Mitra Global -- whose shares are owned by state-owned PT Indosat, Telstra of Australia, NTT, Itochu and Sumitomo of Japan and various domestic companies -- has also signed a contract worth $79.4 million on the procurement of switching exchanges from Lucent Technologies of the United States and state-owned PT Inti.

Other deals already signed by Mitra Global include a $29.1- million contract with PT Nasio for the supply of fiber optic cables and a $29.71-million contract for the procurement of a 50,000-line WLL from a consortium grouping Nasio, NEC and NTT International Corporation of Japan. (har/icn)