Telecommunication

There are various reliable options for you to keep in contact with your family or friends at home.

Telephones

Phone connections are readily available in urban areas today. Though much convenient, long distance or international phone call is still relatively expensive.
Phone cards for local calls are generally sold in the post office, at phone center (Wartel), etc. There is also pre-paid phone cards for international calls. It is more convenient if you have a monthly-paid phone card where local and international calls can be charged to the card number.

Cellular Phone

Cellular phone systems in Indonesia are operated by different private companies. They have different brand names for each product. Here are some cellular phone operators in Indonesia. It is advisable to consult your friend before choosing an operator for your mobile phone.

There are two types of phone cards:

• Pre-paid Card:User can obtain subscriber's calling number and account by purchasing starter package, which the price may contain the card and initial voucher with certain value. By inserting the Card into the handset, the user will have the access to operator's network. The card may cover a limited area, all of Indonesia or even international roaming. Reloading voucher : Reload card with security strip and password number that printed on it. This number allows the user to credit their Pre Paid Card's account with the value shown on the voucher. Users can choose a credit reload to suit their budget. Each pre paid card has different time and cost limit.
• Post-paid card is based on an abonement, or basic monthly charge, plus the usage and all relevant taxes which are billed to your billing address and payable monthly. Requirements for these types of cards have tightened considerably as the incidence of delinquent subscribers has increased during the monetary crisis.

Internet Connectivity

There is no such thing as communication today without accessing the internet. It is for this reason why many telecommunication companies keep improving and diversifying their services for internet access. There are so many internet service providers especially in Jakarta, and other developed regions in Indonesia. They charge a relatively small fee for the initial registration, then a monthly fee which is based on usage. You can send and receive email or even join the on-line chat rooms.

The internet service is formed in two categories ; wired and wireless services. Wired services usually used by big company. To be able to offer lower cost of this wired services, some companies also provide internet services using the existing wired network ; telephone network called dial-up service with the limited performance (56 Kbps theoretically). This has been done by the telkom company. We need to have a modem in our computer and telephone connection. Then dial the number 080989999, entering 'telkomnet@instan' as username and 'telkom' as the password.

Notice that the above internet service usually accessed via static place, in example at home or internet café. To make it mobile, providers have also combined the mobility of cellular phone with the accessibility of the internet. Now we can use our mobile phone as a modem for laptop computer using, for example, their infrared connectivity. As the technology called GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) widely introduced, some mobile phones are functioned as a modem as well. Some SIM cards issued by certain cell phone service providers have supported this technology.