Indonesia’s PT Natrindo Telepon Selular has launched its telecom operations in East and West Java and the Jabodetabek area under the brand name Axis. The company plans to have 3,700 base transceiver stations by end-2008, as its coverage spreads to Banten, North Sumatra, Central Java, Bali and Lombok. While Natrindo has been operating a GSM network in Indonesia since 2001 under the Lippotel brand, it has now expanded its network and re-launched services. The company expects to spend approximately $2 billion by 2010 on the expansion of its network in Indonesia, with the possibility of issuing bonds or listing on the stock exchange to finance its expansion plans.
Currently, the expansion is being funded by its shareholders: Saudi Telecommunications Company, which controls about 51 per cent stake in Natrindo and Malaysia’s Maxis Communications, which holds 44 per cent
