AT&T wins first foreign-operator license in Indonesia

AT&T has become the first foreign service provider to win a Multimedia Services Operator (MSO) license in Indonesia. Although the US telco already had a footprint in the country – in tandem with locally licensed operators, it provides virtual private network and other value-add data services to multinationals operating in the country – this new license will allow AT&T to provide services directly.

The Indonesian government recently changed its telecoms policy to allow up to 95 per cent foreign ownership of service providers. AT&T’s joint venture – PT AT&T Global Network Services Indonesia – will be 95 per cent owned by the American telco. According to AT&T, under the new license and “related government approvals”, the company will now offer “several service enhancements to its service portfolio including managed LAN, managed IP services and managed application services.” With one license in the bag, it’s likely that AT&T will now turn its attention to Thailand and Vietnam, which also recently relaxed their telco ownership regulations. The firm won a license to operate in Malaysia last year.

According to AT&T, the telco has, since 2006, invested more than $4bn business-focused networks, systems and applications worldwide.