New International Call Services: Indonesia

So many times while sitting at the Internet Outpost in Poppies Lane 2 in Kuta the computer has crashed or just slowed right down. Even though they now use 512Mb for all their computers, there are times when the communications satellite gets to close to the sun and gets sunburnt!.

The trouble in Indonesia is that there are only two existing operators, PT Indosat and PT Telkom Indonesia. But now the government plans to allow another telecommunications company to provide direct international call services in competition with the two dominating services.

The issuance of the new license is aimed at reducing Internet bandwidth tariffs. The license will only be given to a company willing to develop a fiber-optic network connecting Indonesia and other countries according to a Business News report.

In Indonesia, 50 percent of Internet access uses global bandwidth.

The bandwidth tariff in Indonesia (using Telkom's Speedy service) was about Rp 300,000 for internet use of 500 megabytes per month with a connection speed of 20 kilobytes per second. The government was making serious efforts to increase Internet access in Indonesia.

According to figures supplied by the Indonesian Association of Internet Providers 16 million people in Indonesia currently have access to the Internet. A new joint venture between local and foreign companies would build an undersea communications network connecting Java and other islands in Indonesia.