Thursday 1 April 2010

Choosing a mobile phone in Indonesia

A wide variety of hand phones are available for purchase in Indonesia. Internationally known brands predominate Nokia 1180 Hand Phonethe market. The latest models with all the new features are available in Indonesia. Often a new model will be launched in Asia before it is available in the west. The major brand names have dealers/distributors who handle the sales of their phones in Indonesia. Dealers/distributors have kiosks or shops in the major malls or sell their wares through counters in electronics goods stores. Most of the major international brands have customer support stores in many areas of the city to provide help and training on how to use the features of their phones. In Jakarta, ITC Roxy Mas is currently considered the center for handphone sales as the entire building is occupied with hand phone dealers. Prices range from Rp 1.0 juta to Rp 11 juta, with VirTU models made from Platinum and precious metals are also available starting at Rp 20 million (exchange rate Rp 9,900/US$1.00 - November 2009).

Some hand phones purchased abroad will work in Indonesia, as long as you subscribe to the operator that utilizes that phone system in Indonesia. For example, if you own a GSM phone, you can subscribe to Telkomsel (Simpati, Kartus As, karto Halo), Excelcomindo (Jempol, Bebas, ProXL), Three (Hutchison HCPT), Axis or Indosat (Mentari, IM3). Or if you own CDMA phone, you can subscribe to Smart Telecom (Smart), Telkom (Flexi), Indosat (StarOne) Mobile 8 (Fren, Hepi ) or Bakrie Telecom (Esia). Changing your phone number is as simple as buying a new “kartu telepon” or chip card from your Indonesian operator. The products vary regarding costs of domestic and international calls and SMS, as well as costs for minimum “top up” and international roaming.

Some older chips will not necessarily work in newer model phones and visa versa. With the advancement of technology and the capabilities on the newer phones, they are requiring a more advanced chip to operate them. Hand phones purchased in Indonesia will only work abroad if they are capable of using the operating system in that country. This is a factor to consider if you do a lot of traveling and want to use your Indonesian hand phone on your trips outside the country. This website provides very extensive and useful information regarding international services and compatibility of hand phones for frequent travelers.

Top of the line hand phones (and operators) include many practical features:

* frequently called phone number list
* voice mail box - to leave messages
* call diverting and call waiting
* screening of calls
* alarm, calculator, exchange conversion and games
* data transmission via PC of fax, Email, or the internet!
* customized phone ring tones
* cameras
* MP3
* GPS
* video recording
* video clips
* and more ...