| Indonesia: Carriers awarded 3G licenses |
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| Friday, 10 February 2006 | |
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Indosat, Excelcomindo, and Telkomsel were recently awarded licenses to operate 3G networks. The tender for the 3G network received interest from five telecommunication companies. PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia and PT Bakrie Telecom failed to win licenses. Indonesian Communication Minister Sofyan Djalil said both Telkom and Bakrie Telecom failed to meet the minimum bid requirement. "The minimum bid was set at 100 billion rupiah," he added. Indosat offered to pay 160 billion rupiah for a license, while Telkomsel bid 218 billion rupiah and Excelcom bid 188 billion rupiah. The licenses are in effect for ten years. The report added that Indonesia previously granted 3G licenses to mobile operator PT Natrindo Telepon Seluler, which is 51% owned by Malaysia's Maxis, and PT Cyber Access, 60% owned by Hutchinson Telecommunications International. However, both Natrindo, which received its 3G license in 2003, and Cyber Access, which obtained a license in 2004, have yet to offer 3G services to their subscribers. The necessary network infrastructure has not yet been installed by these operators. Source: Telecom Asia Daily and Dow Jones - WDR/Intelecon Regulatory News |