Two Bidders for Indonesian Tower Assets

Two investment firms, Saratoga Capital and Recapital are reported to be interested in buying the tower assets currently owned by Indonesian mobile operator Excelcomindo Pratama (XL). The company currently owns over 7,000 base stations, which it values at some US$550 million. [more, cellular-news]

Indonesia Telecommunications Report Q3 2008 - www.companiesandmarkets.com adds new report.

Competition among mobile operators is intensifying. A number of new entrants to the sector have been jostling for greater market share against the larger established mobile operators, through aggressive advertising campaigns detailing competitive advantages of lowest market prices, best call quality and cheapest deals. The number of mobile subscribers has certainly grown, reaching an estimated 97.4mn at the end of 2007 and above BMI’s original estimate. [more, PR-Inside]

Indonesian telecoms mull price-fixing appeal

JAKARTA (AFP) — Indonesian telecom firms were mulling appeals Thursday after the competition watchdog found them guilty of price fixing and raking in hundreds of millions of dollars from illegal text message charges.

The Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) found six telecommunications companies guilty of collusion and slapped five of them with fines worth some 10 million dollars. [more, afp]

SMS cartel practices cause Rp2.827 tln in losses to consumers

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) said short message service (SMS) cartel practices in the country had caused consumers to suffer a loss of Rp2.827 trillion during the 2004 - April 2008 period.

The KPPU made the statement in its decision on Wednesday over the results of its studies about alleged SMS cartel practices by six cellular phone operators, namely PT Excelcomindo Pratama Tbk (XL), PT Telkomsel, PT Telkom, PT Bakrie Telecom Tbk, PT Mobile-8 Telecom Tbk and PT Smart Telecom. [more, antaranews]

Excelcomindo tower sale hits rocky water

Excelcomindo’s proposed USD800 million-plus auction of a number of mobile phone towers is looking less certain after private equity firms interested in snapping up the assets expressed concern over the country’s new foreign ownership rules and the mixed messages coming from the operator. Reuters reports sources familiar with the situation as saying that private equity firms Affinity Equity Partners, Blackstone Group, Carlyle Group, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co and TPG Capital were in the hunt for a slice of Excelcom’s tower business, but are now getting cold feet. [more, telegeography]

XL`s Q1 profit up 109 pct

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Publicly-listed cellular phone operator PT Excelcomindo Pratama (XL) Tbk said on Wednesday its net profit in the first quarter of 2008 jumped 109 percent to Rp368 billion from the same period last year. [more, antaranews]

Indonesia's Excelcom Q1 net profit doubles

JAKARTA, April 30 (Reuters) - Indonesia's third-largest mobile phone operator, PT Excelcomindo Pratama Tbk EXCL.JK, reported on Wednesday a doubling in first-quarter net profit, thanks to a sharp rise in its subscribers. [more, reuters]

HSPA Mobile Broadband Overtakes Fixed Broadband in Indonesia

The GSM Association (GSMA) announced that the number of mobile broadband (HSPA) connections in Indonesia has surpassed the number of fixed broadband connections. At the end of 2007, 315,000 Indonesians were accessing the Internet via this high-speed mobile technology, while fixed-broadband connections were approximately 300,000. [more, sdaasia)

Indonesia's Indosat FY net profit seen up 28-49 percent on subscriber growth

JAKARTA, Mar. 19, 2008 (Thomson Financial delivered by Newstex) -- Indonesia's second-biggest telecom company PT Indosat (NYSE:IIT) is expected to report next Wednesday a 28-49 percent growth in 2007 net profit largely due to a robust increase in the number of its subscribers, analysts polled by Thomson Financial said. [more, CNNMoney]

UPDATE 2-Indonesia's Telkom sees '08 profit up 11-12 pct

JAKARTA, March 13 (Reuters) - Indonesia's top telecoms company, PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk TLKM.JK, said on Thursday its net profit is expected to rise by 11-12 percent this year, short of analyst forecasts, as competition in the sector squeezes growth. [more, reuters]

Indonesia's Excelcom says may lift free float in H2

JAKARTA, March 16 (Reuters) - Indonesia's third-largest mobile phone firm, PT Excelcomindo Pratama Tbk EXCL.JK, said on Sunday it may raise its free float of shares to above 10 percent in the second half of 2008. [more, reuters]

Indonesia Excelcom doubles 2007 net as user numbers grow

JAKARTA, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Indonesia's third-largest mobile phone operator, PT Excelcomindo Pratama Tbk EXCL.JK, said on Wednesday its 2007 net profit more than doubled, driven by strong subscriber growth.

Excelcom's subscriber base jumped 62 percent to 15.5 million, representing around 17 percent market share. [more, reuters]

Datacraft Upgrades Operations for PT Excelcomindo Pratama (XL)

Datacraft has completed construction of a new data centre and an intelligent network for Indonesian-based mobile operator PT Excelcomindo Pratama (known as XL). This new data centre enabling the carrier to expand its subscriber services to include 3G-based video calls, music, and movie downloads, games, news-on-demand, and location-based services. [more, SDA Asia]

Indonesia's Excelcom agrees $424 mln bank loans

JAKARTA, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Indonesia's third-biggest mobile phone operator, PT Excelcomindo Pratama Tbk EXCL.JK, has agreed loans of 4 trillion rupiah ($424.4 million) from Indonesia's largest lender, PT Bank Mandiri Tbk BMRI.JK. [more, reuters]

Indonesian Networks Sign Tower Sharing Deal

Indonesia's Excelcomindo (XL) has signed a tower sharing deal with Hutchison Telecoms Indonesian subsidiary, PT Hutchison CP Telecommunications (HCPT). There are also unconfirmed reports coming in that the company has also signed a similar deal with the tiny local GSM operator, Lippo Telecom. [more, cellular-news]

Telekom Malaysia, Excelcomindo ratings on negative watch - S&P

MUMBAI, Oct. 1, 2007 (Thomson Financial delivered by Newstex) -- Standard & Poor's (NYSE:MHP) Ratings Services placed its ratings on Telekom Malaysia Bhd and its Indonesian unit PT Excelcomindo Pratama Tbk on creditwatch with negative implications, after Telekom Malaysia said it plans to separate its cellular and international operations from its fixed-line business. [more, cnnmoney]

COMPTEL: Indonesia's Excelcomindo Deploys Comptel Convergent Mediation Solution™

Comptel Corporation (OMX Helsinki: CTL1V), the leading vendor of dynamicOperations Support System (OSS) software, announced today that PTExelcomindo Pratama Tbk (XL), has deployed Comptel Convergent MediationSolution. This Comptel solution was implemented in collaboration withlocal system integrator Lintas Teknologi in less than two months fromcontract to delivery, including the delivery of the most critical partin just one month. The Comptel Mediation Solution replaces another 3rdparty solution that had failed to meet XL's expectations. [more, Kauppalehti Online]

Fitch Comments on Indonesia's Third IDD Licence Award

Fitch Ratings says that the recent award of a third international direct dialing (IDD) licence to fixed-wireless operator PT Bakrie Telecom (Bakrie) carries neutral implications for existing IDD operators PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) and PT Indosat Tbk (Indosat) over the near to medium term. At the same time, Fitch notes that the outcome of the licensing was somewhat unexpected, with Bakrie emerging successful over larger rival PT Excelcomindo Pratama (XL). New mobile entrant PT Natrindo Telepon Seluler was also unsuccessful in its bid. [more, cellular-news]

INDONESIA: Residents protest telco company

Jakarta --- More than 500 residents of Kebahar Dukuh village in Serang, Banten province, staged a rally against a cellular phone operator demanding compensation for harm they say was caused by a telecommunication tower in their neighborhood.
The rally turned violent when the residents breached a perimeter fence, attempting to scale the tower.
The tower, built ten years ago, belongs to telecommunications operator Excelcomindo (XL). [more, asiamedia]

UPDATE: Bakrie Telecom Gets International Call License - Official

JAKARTA -(Dow Jones)- The Indonesian government has awarded cellular call operator PT Bakrie Telecom (BTEL.JK) a license to operate international fixed- line call services, a senior government official told reporters Monday.
"We awarded the license to Bakrie Telecom as the company meets all the requirement to operate the services," Director General of Post and Telecommunication Basuki Yusuf Iskandar told reporters. [more, cnnmoney]