By Pratap John/Chief Business Reporter
Dede Rusnandar making a presentation to Qatari media at Indosat’s Innovation Centre in Jakarta recently. Also seen in the picture is Qtel Executive director Adel al-Mutawa
Indonesian full-service telecom operator Indosat is boosting its 2G and 3G service in the south east Asian country with technical support and leadership from Qtel, its parent company.
Currently, Indosat, which is 65% owned by Qtel Group, has more than 46mn mobile customers, Djarot Handoko, Indosat Division Head (Public Relations) told Gulf Times in the Indonesian company’s corporate office in Jakarta recently.
“Our 2G coverage now extends to more than 95% of the populated regions in Indonesia. Since our roll out of the 3G service in 2007, we have covered about 50% of the Indonesian population,” Handoko said.
Indosat Group Head (IT Infrastructure) Dede Rusnandar said the company saw great potential in enhancing the BlackBerry service in Indonesia. “We are receiving full support from our parent company Qtel in expanding the BlackBerry service in Indonesia,” Rusnandar said.
Indonesia, which has approximately 1mn BlackBerry customers, is the world’s biggest user of BBM (BlackBerry Messaging). Indosat has emerged as one of the most innovative and popular providers, delivering a wide range of packages and services to suit all BlackBerry customers.
“We are looking at doubling our BlackBerry customer base in the next few months,” Rusnandar said.
Recently, Indosat executives attended a special symposium in Doha on ‘smart phones’ that included thought-leaders from Research In Motion (RIM), the BlackBerry manufacturer.
To support the Qtel Group’s ongoing growth in this area, the company has launched its own ‘BlackBerry Excellence Awards’, which aim to recognise achievements across the Group in supporting BlackBerry customers, and champion those teams who have been successful in encouraging development and new thinking.
The awards will include special recognition for enterprise-level initiatives and for retail promotions across the Qtel Group’s multiple markets.
Rusnandar said Indosat’s ‘Innovation Centre’ at its corporate office provides facilities for researchers to freely test the technical applications they have developed.
“Many researchers are making use of our innovation centre. They include university students, and if their applications can be utilised, we will consider these. The Qtel Group is extending all support to our innovation centre,” Rusnandar said.
Qtel Group chairman Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohamed bin Saud al-Thani said Indosat’s was a key position as it is the largest company within the group portfolio.
“In this context, we have very special interest in Indonesia,” Sheikh Abdullah told Gulf Times in Jakarta.
Indosat’s Q1,2011 revenue performance was strong, with revenue increasing 7.3% year-on-year to end the quarter at QR2bn.
The earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) during the period also increased, improving 3.3% year-on-year to end Q1, 2011 at QR1bn.
