Indonesia’s remote islands to be connected via Thuraya PCO

Thuraya, a leading international mobile satellite services (MSS) operator, today signed a new agreement with Indonesia’s PTSOG to further boost existing business partnership between the two companies in the major Asian market.

In accordance with the agreement, PTSOG, which is a specialized radio and satellite communications retailer based in Indonesia, will be a key partner in promoting and providing Thuraya’s Public Calling Office (PCO) throughout the country.

Thuraya PCO is a highly affordable rural telephony solution that provides voice, fax, data and SMS services. Designed as manned payphone solution, the PCO makes these services available through a user-friendly public phone service station. Some common areas of applying this solution include rural villages, on-road phone stations, armed forces camps, recreational camping areas, relief zones and archaeological sites.

The agreement was signed in Jakarta by Thuraya’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Samer Halawi and PTSOG’s President Mr. Sanny Jauwhannes. The project entails roll-out of a large number of PCO units across many remote and small island communities in Indonesia.

Thuraya’s CEO Mr. Halawi commented at the signing ceremony by saying, “Thuraya is pleased to collaborate with its partner PTSOG in such a telecom project that will benefit many people and families located in remote rural areas throughout Indonesia’s 17,508 islands.

He elaborated that the project aims to connect remote and rural community islands in the country at a cost that is affordable by those communities, through Thuraya’s modern satellite telecom network. “The PCO solution will, for example, make it easy for people on those islands to make social calls to their family relatives who are at sea in large numbers due to Indonesia’s geography and extensive sea-related activities,” he explained.

On a similar note, PTSOG’s President, Mr Jauwhannes said, “Thuraya continues to lead the way in providing innovative satellite telecom solutions that meet the needs of both vertical as well as horizontal segments. The PCO solution is expected to generate a fast market interest in a country like Indonesia, where it can provide instant connectivity to people and communities in a huge rural island area”.

He added that Thuraya PCO will be a catalyst for individual investors and small businesses to flourish, leading to greater economic and social benefits for Indonesian rural communities.”