Kerry firm wins mobile deal in Indonesia

ALTOBRIDGE’S MOBILE network technology will be used to roll out services to potentially thousands of rural villages in Indonesia after the Tralee firm was named supplier of choice by Indosat, the second biggest mobile operator in the country.

Indosat has already begun using Altobridge’s Lite-site systems to bring service to communities in west Sulawesi. The solar-powered Lite-site system is designed for use in isolated communities and provides voice, text and mobile data services.

Altobridge has had staff in Indonesia for the last two years according to its chief executive Mike Fitzgerald, who says it is a rapidly developing market.

Altobridge won the business, added, because its system had lower running costs than competitors. Indosat awarded the contract after a competitive tender where Altobridge was competing with larger telecoms suppliers, including Chinese manufacturer Huawei.

Lite-site was chosen by Indosat “because it enables us to optimise our capital budget while, operationally, it minimises our backhaul costs and, equally important, it is power efficient and ideally suited for solar,” said Steve Hobbs, Indosat’s chief technology officer.

Mr Fitzgerald said because his firm’s technology was originally developed to supply mobile coverage on aircraft, its power requirements were “lean and mean”.

“It’s a very efficient system – all you have to do is literally put up a pole in a remote community and you can provide service,” he explained.

Each base station consumes about the same amount of power as a 100-watt light bulb, according to Mr Fitzgerald. This means it is able to operate entirely off solar power without the need for bulky and expensive back-up batteries.

Initially specialising in providing voice telephony in remote areas, Mr Fitzgerald said a research partnership with University College Cork enabled the firm to focus also on data services.

Most of Altobridge’s business is in Africa and southeast Asia. Chaired by former tánaiste Dick Spring, Altobridge was co-founded by Mr Fitzgerald with chief operations officer Guy Waugh and chief financial officer Bart Kane.