Telkom-1 Satellite Disorders, Need Three Weeks to Recover 5,700 BCA ATMs

INDUSTRY.co.id - Jakarta - PT Bank Central (BCA) Asia Tbk estimates it will take two to three weeks to recover approximately 30 percent or 5,700 self-tipped automobile teller machines (ATMs) that are not operating due to interference with the Telkom-1 Satellite.

President Director of BCA Jahja Setiaatmadja told a press conference in Jakarta on Monday (8/28/2017) that it will conduct a satellite transfer (reroute) from Telkom-1 which is disturbed into two satellites, about 3,700 ATMs to Telkom-3S Satellite and 2,000 ATM to the Apstar Satellite.

"For the repair and removal of the ATM it will take two to three weeks," Jahja said.

Prior to this satellite interference incident, BCA used five satellites to support its technology and informatics networks. However, with the need for "reroute" is, then BCA add one more satellite that is Apstar Satellite.

"Because of this incident, I just became more and more unwilling (buy a satellite), just rent it, if you buy it only on one satellite only, if one is damaged, how, very dangerous," he said.

Jahja confirmed the number of ATMs that are not operational due to interruption to Telkom-1 of 5,700 ATMs or 30 percent of the total of 17,210 units of ATM owned by BCA.

The statement was to straighten out anonymous news circulating in WhatsApp instant messaging service that there are 70 percent of BCA ATMs that are not operating.

"So it is not true that 70 percent of ATMs are not operating, which is only 30 percent disrupted," he said.

In this "reroute" activity, the BCA team and PT Telekomunikasi Tbk as service providers must come directly to the non-operating ATM units.

ATM networks that do not operate are networks that use VSAT systems and their locations in remote areas.

In addition to the disrupted ATM network, the Telkom-1 Satellite anomaly also caused the network of 126 BCA cash offices to be disturbed.

However, since the recovery made on Saturday (27/8), said Jahja, 121 cash offices have been operating normally. The remaining five cash offices will operate normally on Monday afternoon.

Jahja said only ATM services and cash offices are disrupted due to Telkom-1 anomaly.

"Other services such as 'internet banking', 'mobile banking', and others operate normally," he said.

Jahja said BCA set up a compensation scheme for customers affected by Telkom-1 Satellite anomaly.

During the recovery run, BCA will reimburse the cash withdrawal fee if the customer withdraws cash from the BCA account through another bank's ATM. BCA will reimburse cash withdrawal fees at other bank's ATMs priced at Rp7,500, at the end of the month directly into customer's account.

"We will free the cash withdrawal fee, but only for cash withdrawal, for other transactions such as balance or transfer can be through internet banking or mobile banking," he said.

Jahja also apologized for the disturbance that occurred at the ATM BCA.