Telkom develops mobile Internet

JAKARTA (JP): State-owned PT Telkom, through its research and development unit, is developing a software which will enable users to surf the Internet without fixed telephone lines.

Senior general manager of Telkom's center of information technology planning and development, Suryatin Setiawan, told The Jakarta Post Thursday that the software was being developed in cooperation with Nokia, Finland's telecommunications giant.

"We are preparing the so-called Internet wireless access to allow people to use the Internet without fixed telephone lines," he said.

He said the project was being developed at Telkom's research and development unit, popularly called Risti, in Bandung, West Java.

President of PT Nokia Telecommunications, Nils Kampe, said the project was originally part of a bigger project jointly developed with Risti.

"We are providing technical assistance to Telkom as well as conducting training," he said, adding that the project was Nokia's first cooperation with Telkom.

Risti has also cooperated with other operators including France Telecom, NTT of Japan and Lucent Technologies of the U.S.

Kampe said that when completed, the Internet wireless access will allow people to obtain information through cellular phones.

"People will be able to know stock prices or flight schedules, for instance, just from short message services from the cellular phones. When ready, the Internet wireless access project will need cooperation with various other parties," he said.

He said Nokia was involved in similar projects in Malaysia and Finland. (icn)