Jakarta

INDONESIA's leading state-controlled telecoms operator may be forced to share a key part of its network with smaller rivals, government officials told Reuters, under a landmark proposal to liberalise a US$14 billion telecoms sector and speed up the roll-out of broadband coverage over the next three years.

While there is already competition on the densely populated main island of Java, PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk (Telkom) has long dominated elsewhere, resulting in high rural rates, which can be double those in big cities.