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Smartfren Targets Breaking Even on More Data Users.

Indonesian telecommunications provider Smartfren Telecom plans to more than triple its broadband data service costumers to 5 million next years languishing in the red.

"Focusing on data is not our choice,but the market dictates that,"Djoko Tata Ibrahim, smartfren's deputy chiefexecutive,said in an interview with the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday.

Smartfren says it experienced a surge in its broadband data service customers,which rose 400 percent to 1.5 million customers during the second half last year, Djoko said. Data services generate 55 percent of revenue for Smartfren,which is controlled by the Sinarmas Group.

Djoko declined to disclose revenue figures as Smartfren had yet to report its full-year financial report to the indonesia Stock Exchange. its nine-month revenue last year rose to Rp 688.9 billion from Rp 290.8 billion in the same period in 2010. Meanwhile, its net loss widened to Rp 1.56 trillion from Rp 1.05 trillion.

"we think the loss is normal as the telecommunication business needs heavy investment in its first few years,"Djoko said. He said he was confident that Smartfren can break even in 2013, banking on the company's competitive edge in providing broadband data service.

Sumber : Jakarta Globe Thursday,March 8,2012