(Xinhua via NewsEdge) Indonesia's largest cellular phone operator Telkomsel has officially begun offering first high-speed wireless service for mobile phones, following a successful trial operation in August, local press reported.
Currently, the service is only available in Jakarta, The Jakarta Post reported.
Bambang Riadhy Oemar, Telkomsel's director for planning and development, said 3G service was now available in several main areas of the capital.
'We have built 300 base transceiver stations in Jakarta to provide 3G service,' he said after the launch of the service.
He said Telkomsel would soon expand coverage to other cities, including Bandung in West Java, Surabaya in East Java and Medan in North Sumatra.
Bambang said Telkomsel would increase the number of base transceiver stations to 600 by the end of this year to enable it to provide high-speed wireless service in these cities.
Telkomsel, he said, will invest about 3 trillion rupiah ($326 million) to increase the number of base transceiver stations to 3,000 within three years as it expands its 3G coverage.
As many as 60,000 customers have registered for the service since Telkomsel launched the trial operation last month, he said.
Telkomsel is one of five companies that won licenses to operate 3G services in Indonesia.
In addition to Telkomsel, the government also awarded 3G service operating rights to Indosat, Excelcomindo Pratama, Natrindo Telepon Seluler and Hutchison CP Telecommunications.
© 2006 Xinhua News Agency
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