Telecoms summit ends with declaration

Telecoms summit ends with declaration

BANDUNG, West Java (JP): A three-day international conference
on telecommunications ended here yesterday with a pledge to
remove inequalities in telecommunication and information access
and to support the creation of a global information
infrastructure in the 21st century.

The meeting, held at the Bandung Institute of Technology, also
ended with the signing of joint venture agreements by members of
four consortia which won contracts to build telecommunication
facilities in Kalimantan, Central Java, Sumatra and West Java.

The summit, which focused on human resource development in the
field of telecommunications, was attended by more than 400
executives from various international telecommunication
companies, government officials and communication experts.

The meeting was closed yesterday by Minister of Tourism, Post
and Telecommunications Joop Ave.

The "Bandung Declaration", read by Secretary-General of the
Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Jonathan L.
Parapak, urged continued attention to the development of human
resources in the telecommunications sector to support the
creation of national information systems and networks and a
global information infrastructure in the 21st century.

The declaration also addressed the issues of human resource
development and improving economic growth, employment and quality
of life in a comprehensive, integrated and coordinated manner.
The delegates pledged to involve all concerned parties, with the
objective of creating a fair, equitable and humanistic future
society.

The declaration called on all parties, including governments,
the private sector and international organizations, to contribute
all efforts to develop human resources in telecommunications and
information. It encouraged the use of appropriate mechanisms --
such as the "tripartite approach" where participating parties
support the efforts of developing countries for the transfer of
technology -- to reach the objective of sharing knowledge,
experience and expertise while enhancing creativity in the
telecommunication and information field. It also urged that
inequalities inherent in information and communication systems be
removed.

Unity

Joop, in his closing address yesterday, acknowledged the
important role of telecommunications in uniting Indonesia and in
linking it to the world.

Indonesia, the fourth most populous country in the world with
a population of 195 million, currently has one of the lowest
telephone densities with only two telephone lines for every 100
people.

"We want you to help us in a spirit of partnership, because
we are a nation in a hurry to achieve development," he said to
the participants of the conference.

Indonesian companies, he said, have also been striving to
progress in the field of information and telecommunications.

He cited that several domestic companies have won contracts
to build telecommunication facilities in Cambodia and Myanmar,
while requests have also been coming from India and the Slovak
Republic.

In spite of the achievements, Minister of Education and
Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro, who addressed the conference
yesterday, pointed out that Indonesia has a lot of catching up to
do.

In the development of software, he said, Indonesia has fallen
behind the other six emerging industrial countries in Asia
(Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and
Thailand).

In 1993, Indonesia's software market, gained only US$46
million and ranked second from last compared to the other
countries whose markets ranged between US$35 million and US$280
million.

Indonesia's software market increased to US$61 million last
year and is expected to reach US$76 million this year.

South Korea's market, in contrast, is estimated to reach
US$400 million this year.

Wardiman said that Indonesia also faces a serious lack of
human resources in the information and telecommunications
sectors.

He illustrated that to achieve information technology
developments, one professional or skilled worker is required for
every 4,000 people.

"This means that by the year 2020, some 60,000 people are
needed. Currently, we have less than 2,000," he said.

In order to reach the targeted 60,000 by 2020, he said,
Indonesia must produce 2,300 professionals and skilled workers
each year.

"Presently, however, we produce less than 600 a year from
domestic education institutions and about 50 from overseas
institutions," he said. (pwn)