The GSM Association, the global trade association for the mobile industry, announced that the number of Mobile Broadband (HSPA*) connections in Indonesia has surpassed the number of fixed broadband connections. At the end of 2007 – just one year after the launch of HSPA in Indonesia – 315,000 Indonesians were accessing the Internet via this high-speed mobile technology, according to Wireless Intelligence, while fixed-broadband connections were approximately 300,000*.
Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world with 245 million people and a mobile penetration rate of 39%. Indonesia has four HSPA networks—deployed by Indosat, Excelcom, Telkomsel, and Hutchison 3 Indonesia–and competition among operators to offer broadband services using HSPA is intense.
“Indonesia leads South East Asia in adopting Mobile Broadband services. To consolidate this leadership, it is essential that additional spectrum is released to mobile operators at a reasonable cost,” said Ricardo Tavares, Senior Vice President for Public Policy at the GSMA. “It is also very important that Indonesia develops a medium-term spectrum plan that will enable mobile operators to make broadband services as widely-available and affordable as voice and SMS services.”
Tavares also called on Indonesia to ensure that both domestic and foreign investors in mobile networks are on an equal footing so that the country can maximize investment in Mobile Broadband services and the associated economic and social benefits.
Today, there are more than 32 million HSPA connections worldwide compared with just over 3 million at the end of the first quarter of 2007, according to Wireless Intelligence, a unit of the GSMA. Mobile Broadband continues to gain momentum as more and more operators upgrade their 3G networks with HSPA technology and a growing number of advanced HSPA handsets and modems arrive on the market.
The number of HSPA Mobile Broadband networks worldwide increased by 44 percent to 166 between May 2007 and March 2008. More than 73 countries now have HSPA services. The GSMA estimates there are now more than 467 HSPA devices available worldwide compared with 128 devices in January 2007. These devices include mobile handsets, notebook PCs, data cards, wireless routers and USB modems.
Noted to Editors:
*HSPA – High Speed Packet Access, a software upgrade to W-CDMA 3G networks.
** Source: GlobalComms
The GSMA organized a seminar on, “HSPA-Affordable Broadband for All,” in Jakarta on April 15, with participation of Indonesia’s Minister of Communications, Prof. Dr. Ir. Muhammad Nuh; Commissioner of the Indonesian regulatory agency, Koesmarihati; mobile operators CEOs’ Mr. Hasnul Suhaimi (Excelcom), Erik Aas (Natrindo), and Guntur S. Siboro (on behalf of Indosat’s CEO Johny Swandi Sjam), and 150 telecommunications industry leaders in the country. The seminar was co-sponsored by the Indonesian Cellular Operators Association (ATSI).
About the GSMA:
The GSM Association (GSMA) is the global trade association representing more than 700 GSM mobile phone operators across 218 countries and territories of the world. In addition, more than 200 manufacturers and suppliers support the Association’s initiatives as key partners.
The primary goals of the GSMA are to ensure mobile phones and wireless services work globally and are easily accessible, enhancing their value to individual customers and national economies, while creating new business opportunities for operators and their suppliers. The Association’s members serve more than 2.5 billion customers – 85% of the world’s mobile phone users.
For more information please contact:
Mark Smith or David Pringle
GSMA
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