Telkom launches better services contest

JAKARTA (JP): PT Telkom, the state telephone company, is holding a competition for communities in South Jakarta to maintain public phones.

The competition, which ends next month, is aimed at encouraging community participation in preventing vandalism of public phones, the main reason why many pay phones do not work.

The contest is open to all district units of Karang Taruna, a government-sponsored youth movement, in South Jakarta.

The head of Telkom's South Jakarta office, I Nyoman G. Wiryanata, said public participation had proven effective in maintaining public phones and informing Telkom of breakdowns.

"Now we can work fast to serve the public," he said, adding that most repairs could be carried out the same day a complaint is received.

There are 8,273 public pay phones in South Jakarta and 800 are planned to be installed this year.

Telkom South Jakarta also launched an operation at the weekend to clean up public pay phone shelters in the mayoralty. The operation involves Telkom staff and senior high school students.

South Jakarta collects more revenue from public pay phones than any other Telkom office in Indonesia. (04)