Cell phones rule in city households

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 04/04/2008 1:17 AM | City

The increasing number of telecommunications equipment producers has increased the city's access to digital products, an expert says.

Indonesian Telecommunication Society (MASTEL) head Mas Wigrantara Roes Setiyadi said this has lured many people from the lower income brackets to use sophisticated gadgets.

Nowadays, he said, people feel the need to have a connected network, in order to reach or be reached by other people.

"It's like inhaling oxygen," Mas Wigrantara said.

Even elementary school graduates can use mobile phones, he said.

"But this doesn't mean the technology has a low value," he added.

Jakarta Statistics Agency records show more than half of Jakarta's households, or some 59.8 percent, have cell phones.

Households in South Jakarta have the highest rate of cell phone penetration, with cell phones in 67.6 percent of homes, followed by East Jakarta (59.6 percent), Central Jakarta (58.4 percent), West Jakarta (57 percent) and North Jakarta 54.7 percent.

The Thousand Islands regency has the lowest ownership rate, with cell phones in only 12.8 percent of households.

In general, almost half of all households in Jakarta have more than one cell phone number. There are some 700,000 households with one cell phone number, 383,000 with two, 144,000 with three, 77,000 with four and 36,000 with five or more numbers.

Mas Wigrantara explained that dual cell phone ownership began because each city in Indonesia had different cellular operators. As a result, businessmen had to switch handsets and numbers when traveling to other regions.

When all operators began to provide good service the dual ownership continued due to a reduction in prices, Wigrantara added. The trend was copied by the general public, making dual cell phone ownership a lifestyle choice.

"Ideally, if everyone has a cell phone, the number of cell phone sales will stabilize, but people here are continually changing their handsets, whether to look for the latest technology or other reasons. I guess cell phone sales will continue to be high," he said. - JP/Tifa Asrianti

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