Anindya Bakrie: Indonesian International Taipan

Bakrie Telecom’s Contribution to ‘Grup Bakrie’ Grows

TEMPO Interaktif, Jakarta: PT Bakrie & Brothers. targets revenue contribution from PT Bakrie Telecom as increasing. The telecommunication company is expected to contribute around 30 to 35 percent of the ‘Grup Bakrie’ holding company’s total revenue share.

Bakrie Telecom’s Chairman of the Board, Bobby Gafur Umar, said it is expected that the target can be achieved within the next year or two. Until the end of last year, Bakrie Telecom contributed around 16 percent to Bakrie & Brothers’ total revenue. The optimism is based on Bakrie Telecom’s status which is a national telecommunication provider operator starting in 2007.

“We hope the government license can increase Bakrie Telecom’s contribution to the total consolidation of its holding company,” said Bobby in Jakarta yesterday (8/2). Before, Bakrie Telecom only obtained telecommunication with a license in Jakarta, West Java and Banten provinces. The government gave Bakrie Telecom a national operator license in December 2006, with the initial targets in Surabaya, Medan, Semarang and Yogyakarta.

However, Bakrie Telecom’s Managing Director, Anindya Bakrie, was reluctant to reveal the company’s revenue up to the end of last year. “It’s still in the audit process,” he said. Bakrie & Brothers’ Finance Director, Yuanita Rohali, said some time ago that Bakrie Telecom’s revenue as of November 2006 was Rp746 billion.

While the target of additional Bakrie Telecom customers this year, said Anindya, is 3.6 million or an increase of 140 percent compared to last year. It is estimated that 3.1 customers are in Jakarta, West Java and Banten and 500,000 in new operational areas.

On the other hand, Bakrie Telecom’s target of the average rate user is between Rp55,000 and Rp60,000. according to Anindya, the estimate is lower compared to that of last year because as a strategy consequence, the company aims at lower social-economic class.