Telkom to install 35,000 new phone lines this year
Telkom to install 35,000 new phone lines this year
JAKARTA (JP): State-owned domestic telecommunications firm PT Telkom will install 35,000 new telephone lines for residents of Jakarta and Tangerang by the end of the year.
Jimmy R. Villanueva, head of Telkom's West Jakarta branch, said yesterday that new customers will no longer have to make down payments on installation fees prior to connection.
"The new program offered by Telkom won't require new costumers to make a down payment, which usually comes to about Rp 100,000 (US$44)," he said.
Installation fees will be Rp 900,000 for business customers, Rp 700,000 for households and Rp 560,000 for social institutions, not including tax and first-month customer bills, he added.
"Customers will only have to register their names at Telkom's nearest service point and we will install new lines at their houses," Villanueva said.
"They can pay the downpayment together with their first bill," he added.
Villanueva expressed the hope that by introducing the new program Telkom will be able to serve more people who want to have telephone lines installed at their homes easily and quickly.
"The company will have a staff of 425, consisting of 135 Telkom employees and 290 of the company's partner employees to serve customers' needs," he said.
"To make the new program a success, customers are expected to be at home when Telkom personnel come to install the lines," he added.
However, according to Villanueva, Telkom will not be able to meet the needs of all customers because of a lack of staff and facilities.
"Telkom still has to improve its service to customers, especially to those who need new telephone lines at their houses," he said.
"Our main problem is that we may not have enough lines for certain areas," he added.
In order to facilitate the registration of customers, Telkom is providing a special telephone hot line to take orders and answer queries.
"Today we have five operators at telephone number 162 who will serve the customers," he said, "I understand that this single facility is too small to take all telephone calls."
Telkom has received some 5,000 calls on the special line since September, he said.
Villanueva also disclosed that Telkom will not be able to reach this year's installation target.
"We are supposed to install 105,000 new lines this year but I'm afraid Telkom won't be able to reach that target," he said, saying one problem had been late shipment of cables.
Another factor is that the real estate sector has slowed down recently, he said, causing a delay in the completion of the Golden Triangle business district in Central Jakarta.
"We have installed about 30,000 new lines in the business district. Unfortunately the complex has not been completed yet," he said. (05)