PALAPA Ring is to be built in 2010: The Parliament says Depkominfo must bear the responsibility for the delay

The government hopes that the development of the Palapa Ring would commence in August 2009. However, the consortium for the laying of the fiber optic cable network in the Eastern Indonesia is incapable of fulfilling that hope considering the multitude of besieging problems. The expert consultant for the Minister of Communication and Information Moedjiono said that the available fund of US$150 million is enough for only 75% of the initial target of laying an 11,000 kilometers of network of fiber optic cable connecting Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua, and Nusa Tenggara. “Although the project would only be commencing next year, it will be serviceable by 2011,” he said. Meanwhile, the member of the Commission I of the Parliament Dedy Djamaluddin Malik, from the Partai Amanah Nasional, is of the opinion that the delay of the Palapa Ring project is attributable to the Department of Communication and Information (Depkominfo). And for that, Depkominfo must answer to the Parliament. / Investor Daily, pg 24