Indonesia's Telkom Expects WiMAX Launch in First-Quarter 2010

­Indonesia's PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) is aiming to launch its WiMAX network in the first quarter of next year, subject to receiving it license from the regulator, the company has confirmed.

Telkom consumer director Ermady Dahlan told The Jakarta Post that the company was in the middle of completing the administrative requirements needed in order to obtain the operational licenses. The licenses are expected to be issued to bidders by the end of next month, although the winners were announced last month.

Ermady said the company has already started carrying out surveys and procurement arrangements for the infrastructure.

Indonesia has awarded a total of eight WiMAX licenses. The winners include the dominant telco, Telkom, PT Indosat Mega Media, PT Internux, PT First Media, PT Jasnita Telekomindo, PT Berca Hardayaperkasa, PT Rahajasa Media Internet also called the Indonesian WiMAX Consortium, as well as a consortium made up of PT Comtronics Systems and PT Adiwarta Perdania.

The bidders all past the entry criteria which required a minimum roll out strategy as well as a commitment to ensure that at least 30% of the equipment used is manufactured locally.

The eight winners were taken from an initial seventy-three companies that expressed an interest in bidding. Each regional zone will have a maximum of two operators.

The Indonesian Internet Service Provider Association (APJII) has said that it expects internet access fees could drop by between 40 percent and 50 percent after WiMAX networks start their services next year. The APJII says there are 25 million Internet users in the country out of a population of 240 million.

On the web: The Jakarta Post

Posted to the site on 28th September 2009