Indonesia VoIP
For centuries, people who lived on islands were faced with a dilemma when they wished to communicate with the outside world: to talk to a person somewhere else, you usually needed to get in a boat and travel there. The invention of the telephone changed things somewhat, because islanders could now telephone people on the mainland. However, for people living in and island nation like Indonesia a part of the original dilemma still remained - the telephone lines and links that lead away from the country are not free to use, so it cost money to speak with people anywhere else in the world.
A new technology is changing all that, however, and Indonesia is welcoming that technology with open arms. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is shrinking the world by sending voice data over the Internet, saving user’s money on long distance charges. In Indonesia, VoIP is being seen as a less costly way to connect their island nation with the rest of the world. Using VoIP has several benefits for Indonesia. Indonesia VoIP service has much more bandwidth than regular telephone service, meaning that more calls, faxes, data, and videoconferencing can take place at the same time, and because Indonesia VoIP service uses the Internet instead of regular PSTN (Public Service Telephone Network) long distance links, Indonesia VoIP providers do not need to lease airtime on these links. This saves the providers money, a savings that can be passed on to their customers.
By leveling the long distance playing field with companies in Australia, China, and many other nations, Indonesia is assuring that their companies and corporations can be competitive in today's difficult business environment. There are five major telecommunications firms working with VoIP in Indonesia. Unlike in the United States, Indonesia VoIP service is regulated by the Indonesian government. While this has slowed development somewhat, it has meant that these companies have worked to integrate VoIP applications into the PSTN. This means that some calls will travel via VoIP without either party ever being aware of it.
Telkom is the largest Indonesia VoIP user, and has a large VoIP network throughout the country. Telkom was once owned and operated by the government, and as such has the largest market share. Indosat is another VoIP user, which offers customers prepaid long distance cards. The other three Indonesia VoIP service providers, Satelindo, Atlasat Solusindo and Gaharu Sejahtera also offer pre-paid cards. Because they use VoIP, these cards typically cost up to one quarter of the price of regular long distance. Indonesia VoIP service is just one example of how an island nation can better connect with the outside world. By using Indonesia VoIP, Indonesians can greatly reduce their long distance charges, and can thus solve the eternal dilemma of living on an island: communicating with everywhere else.
