Technology Runs Fast, Users Walk In Place. Government Claims For 3G Cellular Operators' Commitment

The presence of the third generation (3G) communication technology in this country has not been for very long. In the beginning of this February the Telecommunication Regulating Board (BRTI) is going to record the extend of development of 3 G at each operator. Currently there are five operators in possession of 3G licenses, namely: Telkomsel, Indosat, Excelcomindo, Hutchinson CP Telecommunication Indonesia, and Natrindo Telepon Seluler. "We want to see the commitment they have given," said Kamilov Sagala, a member of BRTI Commission. This means that government wants to claim for the commitment given by the operators when they received the 3G licenses. The commitment ranges from their partial payment of the up front fee for the license, the extend of coverage of developing network Of service, number of customers, development of human resources (SDM), as well as use of local components. "They should use a maximum of about 35% local components," said Kamilov. This is for building 3G BTS, which is commonly called node B. Indosat that puts priority on the latest 3G technology through 3,5 G or high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) has claimed they have 600,000 customers. Meanwhile Excelcomindo Pratama has spent a total investment of US$ 650 million for the development of 3G. On the other hand Telkomsel has openly disclosed the number of their 3G customers. "It is about 1.5 million customers," said President Director of Telkomsel, Kiskenda Suriahardja.