Indonesia's second-biggest mobile operator, PT Indosat Tbk, today launched 3G services following two other rivals, Telkomsel and Excelcomindo which rolled out similar services earlier this year.

For the first term, Indosat will schedule this service for the Jakarta and Surabaya areas as part of various telecommunications technology innovations commemorating the 39th anniversary of the company.

Indosat itself is calling its latest service 3.5G, which is based on 3G technology but allows customers to enjoy a better quality of voice service, video and data access/Internet with high speeds of up to 3.6Mbps. This is estimated at nine times faster than the common 3G service.

Currently, all node Bs from Indosat use the HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. This makes the company the first 3G operator in Indonesia to provide HSPDA-based 3G.




"The 3G launch is Indosat's commitment to present an updated telecommunications technology innovation to the public, " said Kaizad B. Heerjee, deputy president director Indosat, at the 3G event held in Jakarta.

Through 3.5G technology, Indosat will present features such as high-speed data and Internet access, mobile TV, multiplayer games, video calls, mobile video, and full-track music downloads. These features can only be enjoyed by postpaid Matrix Card customers in two cities, while prepaid Mentari and IM3 customers will have to wait till March next year to enjoy these services.

Indosat 3G is also available to Indosat Blackberry customers through the new Blackberry 8707 currently released by the operator together with Research In Motion (RIM). Through this, Indosat becomes the first 3G operator offering 3G service to Blackberry customers.

The 3G launching event

The company's 3G clients can also enjoy an international roaming facility to member countries of APMA (Asia Pacific Mobile Alliance), allowing them to roam in Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, the Philipines, Taiwan, South Korea and India.

Indosat is a leading telecommunications and information service provider in Indonesia that provides cellular services (Mentari, Matrix and IM3), IDD services (IDD 001, IDD 008 and FlatCall 016), and fixed telecommunications services (StarOne, I-Phone). The firm also provides Multimedia, Internet & Data Communication Services (MIDI).

Indosat was established in 1967 as a foreign investment company to provide international telecommunications services in Indonesia, commencing its operations in 1969 with the inauguration of the Jatiluhur Earth Station. In 1980, the Indonesian Government acquired all the shares of Indosat, which then became a state-owned enterprise.

Indosat pursued a main course of development for its cellular business starting in the mid-1990s. In 2001, it established PT Indosat Multi Media Mobile (IM3), followed by acquiring full control of PT Satelit Palapa Indonesia, thus making IndosatGroup the second-largest cellular operator in Indonesia.

At the end of 2002, the Government of Indonesia undertook a 41.94 percent divestment of its shares in Indosat to Singapore Technologies Telemedia through the holding company of Indonesia Communications. With this divestment, Indosat is once again a foreign investment company, offering a full-fledged, integrated network and services in information and communications solutions.

 

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