Cellular sector rivalry heats up

Source ~ The Star

Aug 29, ALL three cellular companies in the country held separate events on Wednesday.

DiGi Telecommunications Bhd launched its multimedia messaging services (MMS); Maxis Communications Bhd announced its results; and Celcom (M) Bhd launched its general packet radio services (GPRS), offering MMS.

Whether by chance or design, this just goes to show the level of competition in the sector. No player wants to be left out. For consumers, the stiffer the competition, the better bargains and product quality.

But the fight in the future is not so much about getting new customers, but about what more can you sell to your existing customers.

As a telecom analyst puts it, the market is almost saturated and how companies control costs for better margins is the key. He discounts a fierce price war ahead, although that is already happening. The level of data business that can be generated would have a bearing on future earnings.

As it is, cellular firms have seen SMS grow by leaps and bounds, and billable transactions passed the one billion mark in just six months. Globally, SMS growth has exploded, and in the case of the Nordic operators, contribute about 10%-15% of total revenue.

All three Malaysian celcos now offer MMS, which enables mobile users to send colour pictures, animated images and text through their handsets.

That, industry experts say, is really the beginning of transportation of real data stuff. Essentially, operators are moving from being voice centric to data centric organisations.

As a gauge, if Maxis' data business revenue can rise by 135% in the first half to RM226mil, imagine what it can achieve when more user-friendly applications become available.

Maxis chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Jamaludin Ibrahim had said that the challenge was for players to migrate to data this year. By end-2004, substantial inroads would have been made.

Celcom CEO Datuk Ramli Abbas agreed that adding value was the way forward.

He told StarBiz that “moving up the value chain is what we would be concentrating on. We want to grow the low-end users into high-end users.’’

DiGi's MMS for prepaid was something new in the market place, although Maxis was first to offer MMS – to post paid users in July.

DiGi CEO Tore Johnsen said the company was working with content providers to expand to MMS service offerings that would have the ability to send audio clips with pictures as well as graphs.

In the mobile business, experts say, up to 40% of the value will be in content creation, aggregation and presentation.’’ They suggest that the operators move into this area.

Mobile data would represent the “greatest opportunity for telcos to reverse the trend in decreasing average revenue per user (arpu)’’, they added.

As at end-June, Maxis' arpu for the first half of this year was RM167 for postpaid and RM64 for prepaid; Celcom's RM100 and RM55;and DiGi’s RM181 and RM54, respectively.

Subscriber growth rates have fallen from the robust 40% to 60% experienced a few years ago to the teens these days. So while it is important to acquire new customers, keeping existing ones is crucial, and content will ensure expansion of revenue streams.

But costs must be kept low as well, cautioned an industry expert.

wah....battle had just begun!!!!

Originally posted by ethan

wah....battle had just begun!!!!

yea....hehe...which service provider you're using? :D

Originally posted by szehoong
yea....hehe...which service provider you're using? :D

Timecel which is now part of Maxis :D

i wonder who will win??:D

Originally posted by TYW

i wonder who will win??:D

Consumers are always the winner....:D

Originally posted by szehoong

Consumers are always the winner....:D

ha ha..... i should get one i think. but not too soon :(

Originally posted by TYW

ha ha..... i should get one i think. but not too soon :(

Get a pre-paid lar.....quite cheap mar! You can always get your parents to buy new phones then use their old ones lor :D

BTW Pablo uses Nokia 2100 izzit? I din notice what phone he is using....hehe :)

Originally posted by szehoong

Get a pre-paid lar.....quite cheap mar! You can always get your parents to buy new phones then use their old ones lor :D

BTW Pablo uses Nokia 2100 izzit? I din notice what phone he is using....hehe :)

Pablo use everything 2100 one. including his phone, digicam even batteries:D

Pablo always call me buy phone. i no money liao coz jus buy digicam. maybe a few years later lah

Originally posted by TYW

Pablo use everything 2100 one. including his phone, digicam even batteries:D

Pablo always call me buy phone. i no money liao coz jus buy digicam. maybe a few years later lah

A phone (like Nokia 2100 for example) is just a fraction of your digital camera cost lar!

Maybe 2100 is Pablo's 'ong' (lucky) number.....:D :D :D

hehe!!! im wit Vodafone:D :D
if i go to Malaysia... can i still send massage(chat,multimedia etc) and GPRS???:?

Originally posted by szehoong

A phone (like Nokia 2100 for example) is just a fraction of your digital camera cost lar!

Maybe 2100 is Pablo's 'ong' (lucky) number.....:D :D :D

haiyah, later lah. i no money, mother sure say no, blah blah blah. so better just wait later. even by bro want asso dun let. if i got he sure cemburu ha ha.....

Originally posted by TYW

haiyah, later lah. i no money, mother sure say no, blah blah blah. so better just wait later. even by bro want asso dun let. if i got he sure cemburu ha ha.....

oopss i don't know yr brother hope to get a handphone....

actually i use my own pocket money to buy h/p:D

eh...i still belum buy my lucky no. hehehe:D

Originally posted by Pablo

oopss i don't know yr brother hope to get a handphone....

actually i use my own pocket money to buy h/p:D

eh...i still belum buy my lucky no. hehehe:D

better quickly buy. i think two days ago, i saw another thing 2100 but cannot remember what

Originally posted by TYW

better quickly buy. i think two days ago, i saw another thing 2100 but cannot remember what

barang saya ?? belum buy lagi kok...but i still can't c any 2100 keluar in toto and others:? :?

Originally posted by SEED

hehe!!! im wit Vodafone:D :D
if i go to Malaysia... can i still send massage(chat,multimedia etc) and GPRS???:?

You can call Vodafone's customer service to ask if they support these services while roaming. I am sure that you could use your SMS service but GPRS I afraid not (not too sure but most probably can't). So I recommend you better check with Vodafone on this.

If you are coming back for more than a week and gonna make a lot of calls in Malaysia, I would suggest you to get a pre-paid card.....much cheaper than roaming calls. ;)

szehoong> mine is pre paid ones~ and got that java thingz in it~ i already ask Vodafone~ they say is 'k~ but i think i gotta do a few thingz first before can use it over seas~ wat bout maxis??:D:D
anyway~ Vodafone customer service sux.... gotta wait so long.... wat bout Maxis???:D :D but vodafone got cool girl to talk to hehe:naughty: :naughty: they all sound sexi yo~:naughty: :naughty: hoho.. im bad...

Originally posted by Pablo

barang saya ?? belum buy lagi kok...but i still can't c any 2100 keluar in toto and others:? :?

i dun remember what thing so, not sure u got or not:D maybe u so lond didn't buy already open liao asso u dunno

Competition among mobile phone operators hots up


Source ~ Business Times

Oct 13, COMPETITION is hotting up among mobile phone operators. All three players are now trying to outdo each other by offering extra features and lower call rates to increase usage and woo more subscribers.

A head-on battle between DiGi and Celcom turned into a three-way contest when Maxis Communications Bhd last week announced its improvised “mplans”, taking up full-page advertisements in major newspapers to unveil the new packages.

The revised “m-plans” include lower Maxis-to-Maxis local call rates, and a new entry level post-paid plan with RM30 access fee for three years.

Three weeks ago, Celcom (M) Bhd announced four new post-paid plans, including the entry level Ezy package with RM25 access fee.

This followed DiGi.com Bhd’s new “Beyond” prepaid packages introduced a day earlier, offering call rates that are automatically adjusted downwards with more usage.

Market watchers were anticipating such a response from Maxis, as the new offerings from both its rivals were seen as attempts to unseat the market leader.

A common thread in all these new offerings is that each operator has not directly lowered their per minute tariffs, analysts say.

Discounts are either offered when users commit to a certain level of usage, or are given to calls made within the same network to encourage conversion of friends and family members to use the same operator.

They also note additional efforts on brand building and packaging, as seen in DiGi’s Beyond prepaid. Previously, only Maxis marketed its prepaid service under an independent brand — Hotlink — allowing it to better target-brand its Maxis premium post-paid service for higher-usage customers.

Local call rates (peak) for post-paid plans have been cut to 20 sen per minute from the normal average of 30 sen per minute before. For prepaid mobile, local call rates can now be as low as 40 sen per minute (peak), from the normal average of 60 sen per minute before, with the right package and usage pattern.

With the market moving closer to saturation, analysts expect more such offerings, as all mobile operators give their best to win more customers and reduce customer dropout.

This intense rivalry, which has already led to lower cost of owning a mobile phone, will only intensify as some 10 million people or every two out of five Malaysians already own a cellular phone.

DiGi now has just over 2 million customers, from 1.8 million in January. It has about 20 per cent market share, while Maxis has 38 per cent and Celcom 42 per cent.

The cost of prepaid starter packs, for instance, has fallen to as low as RM38 since the launch of DiGi’s Beyond prepaid, complete with RM20 preloaded talktime.

This is comparable to Celcom’s entry-level Xplore starter pack sold at RM48 each with RM30 pre-loaded talktime and 100 bonus text messages (worth RM15).

Maxis’ Hotlink starter pack is retailed at RM88 each, with RM50 pre-loaded talktime and RM10 additional talktime is given when customers return a welcome card with their details.

It is currently being sold at RM55 to woo customers in Sabah and Sarawak. Celcom’s mid-level Xceed prepaid pack retails at RM128, while high-end Xcel pre-paid packs are sold at RM168 each.

This is a far cry from when prepaid mobile was first introduced in Malaysia on the midnight of January 2 1998 by DiGi, known then as Mutiara Swisscom or DiGi 1800. Two years ago, Maxis Hotlink starter packs were sold at RM238 each.

ING Financial Markets regional telecommunications analyst Syed Razif Al-Idid expects mobile operators to offer even more diverse pricing plans to cater to all types of customers. This is already happening in more mature markets like UK.

“Innovative services and call plans would help operators to improve average revenue per user and promote greater mobile data usage.

“The ultimate beneficiaries would be mobile customers, as operators focus on ensuring better quality and wider network coverage in order to retain the customer base,” he said.

http://www.celcom.com.my/images/header/logo.gif

Celcom lancar logo korporat baru


Source ~ Berita Harian - Nasional

Oct 22, KUALA LUMPUR : Celcom (Malaysia)Berhad (Celcom) melancarkan logo baru korporatnya selaras dengan misinya untuk memberi perkhidmatan terbaik kepada pelanggan dalam satu majlis gilang gemilang yang berlangsung di Menara Kuala Lumpur, malam tadi.

Pelancaran logo dengan slogan baru "It's In Your Hand", juga sejajar dengan penggabungan rangkaian talian 019 yang dikendalikan Celcom dan 013 yang dikendalikan TM Cellular Sdn Bhd (TM Cellular) untuk beroperasi sebagai satu jenama iaitu Celcom.

Kemuncak majlis pelancaran itu adalah aksi terjunan Base oleh tiga penerjun iaitu Karim Salleh, Aziz Ahmad dan Azlan Ismail yang membawa sim gergasi untuk diserahkan kepada tetamu kehormat iaitu Menteri Tenaga, Komunikasi dan Multimedia, datuk Amar Leo Moggie.

Majlis itu turut dimeriahkan dengan pertunjukan bunga api selama 10 minit sebaik saja logo baru itu dilancarkan.

Hadir sama pada majlis itu, Pengerusi Celcom, Datuk Dr Mohd Munir Abdul Majid; Ketua Eksekutif kumpulannya, Datuk Ramli Abbas dan Ketua Eksekutif Telekom Malaysia Bhd, Datuk Dr Md Khir Abdul Rahman.

Logo baru Celcom yang berlatarbelakang warna biru dan merah melambangkan tradisi baru syarikat berkenaan dan hala tujunya. Simbol burung memberi maksud aspirasi dan kebebasan tanpa sempadan.

Dalam ucapannya, Dr Mohd Munir berkata, dengan jenama baru itu, Celcom akan menjadi jenama terunggul dalam industri telekomunikasi celular di Malaysia.

"Kami mahu semua rakyat Malaysia tahu bahawa jenama Celcom telah wujud di Malaysia dengan menyiarkannya menerusi media massa, bunting, kain rentang dan dalam bentuk cetakan.

"Dengan adanya logo baru ini, pengurusan Celcom dan kakitangannya menanam azam untuk memberi kualiti perkhidmatan terbaik kepada pelanggan dan bukan hanya berjanji kosong semata-mata tetapi seperti ynag dijanjikan.

"Saya juga berterima kasih kepada kerajaan, kakitangan, pemegang saham serta pelanggan untuk mejadikan Celcom satu jenama unggul dalam industri telekomunikasi negara," katanya.

yep. Saw the wholepage advertisement on the frontpage of Berita Harian! It looks cool!

Urgh....I think it is ugly. Red and blue never a good color combination. :no:

Well, that is what I thought. Probably based on my previous experience using Celcom. :D

here here a loyal celcom user since 1999 :D:D:D.

I think I'm stupid...paid them monthly network access fees although it's a prepaid service for the first few years. Luckily they introduced the new prepaid packages something similar to other telcos if not I would've migrated ledi.

I think the best prepaid service offered is from Digi..got gprs and mms...

i think the old one looks better lah

Originally posted by TYW

i think the old one looks better lah

yeah....I like the 'dove' more than this 'hummingbird' ;)

Originally posted by hypermount

here here a loyal celcom user since 1999 :D:D:D.

I think I'm stupid...paid them monthly network access fees although it's a prepaid service for the first few years. Luckily they introduced the new prepaid packages something similar to other telcos if not I would've migrated ledi.

I think the best prepaid service offered is from Digi..got gprs and mms...

I think you're stupid too! :D :D :laugh:

I was thinking last time....who the hell would be paying monthly subscription to a prepaid-service?!?!?!

I finally found someone! ....hahaha :rotf:

Originally posted by ZaHiRnYa???

Urgh....I think it is ugly. Red and blue never a good color combination. :no:


Eh I think my siganature is good enough lah :D

Old one is better

Originally posted by baqthier

Eh I think my siganature is good enough lah :D

errr...not related la Baq :D . Yours is okay, alternate usage of this 2 color is fine. I am emphasising on the usage of blue color for the background that did not match with red at all ;)

TM-Touch is no more!


Source ~ the star - Corporate IT

Oct 28, KUALA LUMPUR: The TM-Touch brand no longer exists -- that was the message which Celcom, now operating the merged Celcom and TM-Touch mobile telecommunication networks, sent to the public when it unveiled its new unified corporate name and logo.

Celcom has merged with Telekom Malaysia Bhd's cellular subsidiary TM Cellular Sdn Bhd. The merged entity will be known as Celcom (M) Bhd (www.celcom.com.my).

According to a company spokesman, the name was chosen after a one-year market survey found that the Celcom brandname was more widely known and stronger than TM-Touch.

The merger puts the 4.1 million customers and 4,339 employees of both networks under one banner, making Celcom the largest mobile telecommunications provider in Malaysia currently.

According to the company's group chief executive officer Datuk Ramli Abbas, Celcom knows that its brand must be backed by quality service.

"Our brand is all about our people and above all, keeping Celcom's promise to our customers -- to empower them with choices and possibilities that give them greater control and the freedom to live the life the way they choose, to live life to the fullest," he said.

The changes will gradually be reflected in branch signs, billboards, print and electronic media advertising as well as all points-of-sale material such as buntings, banners, leaflets and official corporate material.

Earlier, the company introduced a new postpaid call plan package called Salam targeted at the local Muslim community, a joint initiative between Celcom, Lembaga Tabung Haji and the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim).

Jakim is the central body that plans and manages Islamic affairs; Lembaga Tabung Haji is the pilgrimage fund board that manages the hajj for Malaysian Muslims.

Salam is the first programme of its kind to be endorsed and supported by Jakim as a means to further enhance the appreciation for Islamic knowledge and values among Muslim mobile phone subscribers, Celcom claimed.

Under the call plan, subscribers whose call charges reach RM125 and above a month will get RM25 worth of rebates which Celcom will deposit directly to their Tabung Haji accounts. Subscribers must have an account prior to joining the plan.

"Celcom is continuously looking at ways to give back to ours users, and in Salam we are not only giving back to the community but also helping our Muslim brothers and sisters fulfil their religious obligations to perform the hajj," said Ramli.

As the holy month of Ramadan approaches, Salam is all the more relevant, he said.

In addition to the rebate programme, subscribers will also receive the free Jakim-approved SMS Muslim info service, which offers a variety of information including interesting hadith (Islamic traditions) excerpts, facts on Islam, and tips to help them maintain a happy family.

The monthly fee is RM30; users will also get free SIM cards upon registration.

What will happen to the the existing 013 number then. Will it remain as 013 or going to be converted into 019 in the near future. :?

This is Maxis' tribute to Dr. Mahathir featuring KL Skyline debuting tomorrow (31st October 2003)

http://pwp.maxis.net.my/szehoong/pix/SkyscrapersADS/DM star.JPG

:D :D :D

That's a great shot! From which building do u think is that view? But I think they rush lah making the ad, those fonts look soooo typical photoshop one

BTW, thanks alot to PM :)

Originally posted by szehoong

I think you're stupid too! :D :D :laugh:

I was thinking last time....who the hell would be paying monthly subscription to a prepaid-service?!?!?!

I finally found someone! ....hahaha :rotf:

Hey I'm not alonelah :D. Paid Rm180 for 6 months twice a year as it's cheaper..

That time Maxis was still very expensive and Digi's coverage was not that good in east coast so no choise lah :P hehe

i c this pic in today star newspaper, very nice view;)

Originally posted by szehoong

yeah....I like the 'dove' more than this 'hummingbird' ;)

huh?? that's supposed to ba a humming bird?? no wonder so ugly:D

i saw it too. petronas looks so short in that pic

Originally posted by TYW

i saw it too. petronas looks so short in that pic
In my opnion, bcause of PTT, those high-rise buildings look so short:D

Originally posted by Pablo

In my opnion, bcause of PTT, those high-rise buildings look so short:D

actually i think so too but Ptt still looks short that it supposed to be. maybe coz of that angle that make it look fat

cool view. i agree, the highrises around PTT look so short because of PTT.

Originally posted by ZaHiRnYa???

What will happen to the the existing 013 number then. Will it remain as 013 or going to be converted into 019 in the near future. :?

I am not too sure as I am not in Celcom nor TMTouch

But as for TimeCel (which has been taken over by Maxis).....they would still be using 017 but there isn't anymore new 017 registration. So 017 are like dinosaur now waiting to be extinct......:D

intresting

http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_my.shtml

Celcom has the best coverage, szehoong hehe.

maybe their using shorter wave which can trave lfurther distance

DiGi lagi kesian...Limbang and many parts of Sarawak cannot hehehe...

Originally posted by hypermount

Celcom has the best coverage, szehoong hehe.

haha...I din say Maxis got the best coverage......Celcom had always got better coverage than Maxis. Furthermore now they've merged with TMTouch. :D

Although Maxis had acquired TimeCel but instead of increasing the network, Maxis absorb TimeCel customers into their current network. So they are not really utilizing the combined network strength as the telco equipment aren't compatible. ;)

Got so much coverage wouldn't be much use if the service isn't that good in urban areas....for instance.....I want service at LG of Midvalley not so much at the outskirt of Bentong, Pahang for instance ;)

but Maxis isn't getting better these days....too much congestion! :rant:

At last time when back to Malaysia, i made global roaming and the host provider is Maxis.

Lots of problems:bleep: can't received any calls. Called Maxis....they said that it is Vodafone problem...then called to Vodafone .....Pls call Maxis. The problem is not solved until i went back to Aus.

Never use roaming again after that.......
>(

Originally posted by mams

At last time when back to Malaysia, i made global roaming and the host provider is Maxis.

Lots of problems:bleep: can't received any calls. Called Maxis....they said that it is Vodafone problem...then called to Vodafone .....Pls call Maxis. The problem is not solved until i went back to Aus.

Never use roaming again after that.......
>(

Actually when you are on roaming, the roaming service provider is at fault but then again I would have to troubleshoot with ya. In this case Maxis should solve the problem instead of Vodafone because when you are roaming, you are using Maxis notwork not Vodafone. But then again there is also a possibility that on the Vodafone side, somethings like maybe some stuffs are not activated or something like that....there are many possibilities. ;)

Just a question.....have you logged on to Maxis network when you can't received any calls?

BTW is your Vodafone mobile a pre-paid? My friend had problem using his pre-paid Vodafone (New Zealand Vodafone) when roaming in Australia and Malaysia too....... :D

Just dun give up ya......I've used roaming countless times in many countries and I did not encounter any problem at all. I'm on roaming for an entire year in New Zealand when I was studying there! :D

Originally posted by baqthier

DiGi lagi kesian...Limbang and many parts of Sarawak cannot hehehe...

most of the citizen there use celcome...013;) :)

Source : Dow Jones
http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/040120/15/3hduq.html

Malaysia Maxis Targets 70,000-100,000 Video Subscribers

KUALA LUMPUR (Dow Jones)--Malaysia's Maxis Communications Bhd. (5051.KU), a cellular phone service provider, said Tuesday it aims to have between 70,000 to 100,000 subscribers for its new live video streaming service by end-2004.

"We are expecting a positive trend as we have seen significant take up rates for our (other) new services," Maxis Chief Operating Officer Edward Ying told reporters.


Ying was speaking to reporters following the launch of the service, which allows subscribers to view television channels CNBC and hitz.TV via their mobile phones.

He said there are currently about 35,000 handsets capable of supporting the service in Maxis' customer base of more than 4 million.

Ying also announced Maxis aims to introduce other programs on the service.

"We are working to obtain rights to other attractive content such as live telecasts and sporting events such as UEFA Euro 2004," Ying said, referring to the European soccer tournament which will take place in June and July.

Ying said subscribers will be charged 10 ringgit (1$=3.8MYR) a month for the service until Feb. 29. GPRS access charges will be waived for the same period.

Maxis hasn't decided on the fees to charge its customers after the introductory period is over.

Ying declined to say how much Maxis has spent to introduce the service.

.........................................................................................

Awesome! :)

From The Star

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/1/28/business/7192877&sec=business

Telekom 3G rollout at weekend
By B.K. SIDHU

TELEKOM Malaysia Bhd will roll out the much-touted 3G experience to the public come Saturday, making it first to the line between the two telcos assigned broadband spectrums in April last year.

Maxis Communications Bhd, the other spectrum assignee, is working on a year-end timeline to offer 3G services on a commercial basis. It had begun pilot coverage in selected areas in the Klang Valley late last year.

But Telekom’s service would have limited coverage, restricted content and applications, and even a controlled customer base limited to the Klang Valley, for this was just the beginning of its journey with 3G, Telekom chief of group business restructuring and coordination Datuk Dr Mohd Khir Harun told StarBiz.

Only selected consumers in Cyberjaya, central Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, the Semarak area, including Keramat/Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) and Gurney, The Mines and Serdang will get to “feel the first experience’’.

Last July, Telekom assigned five partners to undertake pilot coverage of 3G. Ericsson was assigned the Cyberjaya area; Nokia, The Mines and Serdang; Alcatel, Petaling Jaya; China’s Huawei, central Kuala Lumpur; and Simens/NEC, Keramat, PWTC and Gurney areas.

“All five hot spots will have independent 3G systems; we will not allow roaming at this juncture. Each of the five systems will have different content and applications, but most of the vendors will be able to provide videophone services,’’ Khir said.

The 3G phone user will be able to access location-based services, news reports and video streaming; even watching his favourite television programme. Telekom wants to go slow on the service as it is a new technology, and in expectation of teething problems, especially inter-operability. Availability of handsets and the readiness of the market are other factors it has to contend with in a commercial rollout.

“The idea is to let consumers have a feel for 3G,’’ Khir said. “By offering the service we can also get customer reaction and so better plan our nationwide rollout, expected to begin by the end of the year.''

“We expect full coverage nationwide – but in designated areas – by the end of next year,” he added.

Initially, handsets would be dished out free, and users needed only pay a token sum for domestic call usage, Khir said, adding that the pricing structure was being worked out.

Khir said Telekom was targeting 2,000 users, beginning initially with about 300, since it only had that number of handsets now to offer. It would open 3G services to more users as and when it gets additional handsets.

He added that Telekom would be calling potential users from both the 013 and 019 networks to offer 3G services over the next few days. Those keen to participate in the “3G customer experience'' can get more information from Telekom's service centres in the designated areas.

This consumer experience period will be for six to 12 months, so Telekom can resolve teething problems.

”We will continue to work on increasing content and applications on 3G, and will also study such options as surfing the World Wide Web using a mobile phone via a personal computer,’’ Khir said.

Together, Telekom and Maxis are expected to spend RM7.8bil over the next decade to bring 3G to Malaysia. Maxis will invest RM3.5bil over 10 years while Telekom plans to put in RM4.3bil over 15 years.

Thats great news!I've been wondering when Malaysia will get 3G.Btw,when is Maxis gonna provide the service?sadly only KL areas have 3G:( Hope they will expand in most cities by year end.Been eyeing at 3G handsets for ages!I love the new Nokia 7600!Yummy!:D

Originally posted by D_Y2k.2^

Thats great news!I've been wondering when Malaysia will get 3G.Btw,when is Maxis gonna provide the service?sadly only KL areas have 3G:( Hope they will expand in most cities by year end.Been eyeing at 3G handsets for ages!I love the new Nokia 7600!Yummy!:D

I would rather all the telcos done all the relevant testings and make sure there are minimal glitches when launching than launching it hastily. ;)

Anyway 3G isn't catching up as what the industry observers had hoped for and it is still very slow around the world. Currently the testings are only for Klang Valley but when the service were to rolled out for commercial use.....I am sure it would be nationwide like just in the case for GPRS and WAP. ;)

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/10534.shtml


3G launched in Malaysia

Telekom Malaysia says that it has completed six months of a 3G services trial and has now commercially launched its service. However, the true capabilities of 3G will not be launched in the early phase as Telekom Malaysia says the technology is still in its infancy stage.

Telekom Malaysia is targeting up to 300 customers for the initial introduction and hopes to secure more customers by the end of the year. The service is provided in various parts of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) and Klang Valley.

Telekom Malaysia started trials last July with five partners. Ericsson was assigned the Cyberjaya area; Nokia, The Mines and Serdang; Alcatel, Petaling Jaya; China’s Huawei, central Kuala Lumpur; and Simens/NEC, Keramat, PWTC and Gurney areas.

Each "network" is managed independently, and initially roaming between the separate zones of coverage will not be possible.

http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/Feb2004/6510.htm

3G Launched In Malaysia By Telekom

ASIA Reuters : Telekom Malaysia commercially launched Malaysia's first 3G mobile services on Thursday.

The W-CDMA service, which includes video calls and multimedia browsing, will initially have limited content, limited coverage and restricted number of users, Telekom said in a statement.

Telekom, which is spending $1.1 billion on 3G, and rival Maxis Communications are the only two companies allowed to provide 3G services in Malaysia.

Maxis is due to start its 3G pilot rollout this quarter. There are about 10 million mobile users in the nation of 25 million people.

Earlier this week, another Asian telecoms carrier Hutchison Telecom rolled out its 3G services in Hong Kong, late by several months and dogged by slow sales in Europe.

Several European telecoms carriers have scaled back or delayed 3G launches with customers turned off by pricey and bulky handsets and limited area coverage.

Telekom Malaysia said it was targeting up to 300 customers for the initial launch, possibly due to limited handsets, but hoped to secure more customers by the end of this year.

It said coverage would be limited to parts of capital Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding areas.

"The true capabilities of 3G will not be realized in the early phase since the technology is still in its infancy stage," Telekom said.

COPYRIGHT: © Reuters 2004 More

Telekom gets three-year deal from SIC





TELEKOM Malaysia Bhd has been appointed the official telecommunications service provider for the Formula One (F1) and other racing events held at the Sepang International Circuit.

The company signed yesterday a three-year agreement with Sepang International Circuit Sdn Bhd (SIC) for the provision of fixed-line integrated services digital network (ISDN), broadband Internet, broadcast services and instant billing facilities during the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix 2004, which will be held from March 19 to 21.

“These telecommunications services will be provided using our latest and fully new infrastructure,” Telekom chief operating officer Datuk Dr Idris Ibrahim said at the agreement signing ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.

He said Telekom had deployed eight technical staff and sales personnel to ensure that reliable, seamless and pervasive service was provided throughout the event.

SIC expects some 200 journalists from all over the world to operate from the circuit during the F1.





http://thestar.com.my/archives/2004/3/13/business/b_5telekom.jpg

At the accord signing ceremony. (From left) SIC general manager Ahmad Mustafa, Datuk Mokhzani Tun Mahathir, Datuk Dr Idris Ibrahim and Telekom senior vice-president Datuk Adnan Rofiee.





SIC chairman Datuk Mokhzani Tun Mahathir said Telekom would be the exclusive telecommunications service provider for all racing events at the Sepang circuit for the next three years.

“The partnership agreement ends in December 2006, but we look forward to having a long-term relationship with Telekom,” he said.

Apart from the F1, SIC organises other annual international racing events such as the Japan GT Championship, Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race, and the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

“We also have eight rounds of Malaysian Super Series and, on top of that, there are the Asian Festival of Speed, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, the FIM Asian Road Racing, and the Malaysian Cub Prix Championship,’ Mokhzani said.

SIC would introduce the Formula Nippon this year, he added.

A good read : :okay:




What’s next for Telekom


http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2004/3/6/bizweek/bizwcover0603.JPG

Sharmin Jassal



THE recent acquisition of a five per cent stake in Telekom Malaysia Bhd by Temasek Holdings is the investment arm's first investment in Malaysia and second biggest ever. But it is not likely to be the last.

Industry sources say there's likely to be further development on the partnership between Telekom and Temasek or the latter's controlled Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (SingTel).

At this juncture, that could very well be mere conjecture. But this fact remains – the entry of Temasek into Telekom opens up endless possibilities for both parties. “Think about it. Why should Temasek stop at a 5 per cent stake in Telekom? Clearly, this could be a prelude to Temasek or SingTel having a strategic stake in Celcom's IPO? And once that happens, Telekom will become a different animal,” says a market observer.

UOB Kay Hian's research head Lim Beng Leong points out that if Celcom is listed via a restricted offer for sale, Temasek will own at least 5 per cent of Celcom. “With a strategic foreign shareholder in Celcom, a discount to Maxis for the listing may no longer be necessary,” he says.





http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2004/3/6/bizweek/p16hoching.JPG

Ho Ching executive director and CEO of Temasek Holdings.







Getting harder to ignore

No one doubts that Telekom Malaysia needs to vault itself back into the top rank of the sector. To do this, there must be unwavering will among the management. And yes, another thing – a lot less bickering in its board.

Not too long ago, Telekom was deemed a sluggish stock, easily ignored by foreign investors. Its historically low foreign shareholding of 3 per cent reflects that. However, the recent private placement of 300 million shares in Telekom worth RM3 billion by Khazanah, in one fell swoop, has changed that. Foreign shareholding in Telekom now stands at about 10 per cent.

The country's largest private share placement exercise received a tremendous response. The placement was two times over subscribed, which is a pretty resounding vote of confidence. Was it merely the pricing that attracted the investors to Telekom or is there more?

Telekom shares were placed out at RM9.70 per share against its market price of RM10. A source close to the private placement exercise has this to say: “Investors bought into Telekom based on a restructuring story. It is imminent. That one thing is hard to ignore. Just what shape it will take we will know in months from now.”

Indeed, a restructuring is what most analysts say Telekom Malaysia could do with. And most certainly, it will help Telekom upend the status quo in the country's telecommunications industry.

One of the joint book runners for the offering thinks differently. He says foreigners bought into Telekom for a few reasons. “Foreigners have long been underweight in Malaysia. But the market is moving, the macro picture looks good and getting into a big cap stock would give them exposure to the Malaysian market. “In dollar terms, it is a small transaction for the foreigners. But the hottest sector globally now is telecoms. Investors are returning to this sector.”

Commerce International Merchant Bankers Bhd acted as the global coordinator and joint bookrunner for the Telekom offering. Credit Suisse First Boston, AmMerchant Bank Bhd and ECM Libra Securities Limited were joint bookrunners.

Another reason for the encouraging response, says the banker, is the notion that the ringgit is undervalued, which makes it ripe for them to acquire ringgit assets. He could be right too.

Gan Kim Khoon of AmResearch echoes these sentiments. “There has been a re-rating of Malaysian equities by foreign portfolio investors. Many like what they are seeing in Malaysia, in terms of the strong GDP growth numbers, the earnings momentum, the policy changes by the new leadership, etc. The fact that Malaysia was a laggard market in 2003 also helped our cause.”





Door opens for SingTel

The recent acquisition of 160 million shares or 5 per cent equity stake in Telekom Malaysia by Temasek Holdings represents Singapore's maiden exposure into a Malaysian telco, making Temasek a strategic investor in Telekom. Temasek paid over RM1.6 billion to Khazanah Nasional Bhd for its stake in Telekom. Khazanah now holds 34 per cent.

With Temasek having a foot in, no one is ruling out the possibility that SingTel, may also enter the domestic picture.

This notion stems from the fact that SingTel has long been interested in penetrating the domestic telecoms segment. Back in May 2000, SingTel was blocked from acquiring a stake in Time Engineering. Two years prior to that, SingTel also lost a bid to invest in Maxis Communications.

Worth noting is that Temasek, which controls seven of Singapore's ten biggest companies in terms of sales, has also been reducing its stake in SingTel under commitments made as part of a Singapore-US free trade agreement.

Overseas investments are an integral part of SingTel's strategy for long-term growth.

At this point, SingTel has interests in core telecommunications businesses in over 20 countries. It’s most significant investments (more than 20 per cent stake) include India's Bharti Group, Taiwan's New Century Infocomm, Philippines' Globe Telecom, Belgium's Belgacom, Hong Kong's APT Satellite, Thailand's Advanced Info Service and Indonesia's Telkomsel.

Analysts opine that a Telekom-SingTel tie up will benefit the former in terms of marketing expertise, transfer of technology and synergies with the other telcos in SingTel's investment portfolio.

They also point out that for SingTel to have an impact on the overall workings of Telekom, it would need to have at least a 20 per cent interest.





Higher free float lauded

One good spin-off that came from the share placement exercise is that Telekom's free float has been “freed up” further from 28 per cent to 37 per cent.

As foreigners enter Telekom – a company viewed as an asset of “national interest” - it will also open up the sector. “We welcome the move as it will create a more open telecoms industry. Traditionally, corporations with heavy government investment had a tendency to lend extra support to the government, when the need arose. However, with increased private investments in Telekom, it can only lead to more efficiency,” says an industry player.

A little more than a month ago, the Prime Minister named two state-linked companies, Tenaga Nasional Bhd and Telekom Malaysia, as examples to lead the way by the introduction of a set of explicit KPIs (performance key indicators.) Increased transparency through more effective corporate governance, improved client charter and continued commitment make up just some of the measurements that may be used to measure KPI.

Telekom seems to be making advances in this direction. “The management is changing for the better” echo most analysts. They add that the management is increasingly responsive during analyst briefings and the presentation material is of higher standard and quality. “They (Telekom) seem to be taking the KPIs seriously and are moving towards better corporate transparency.”

However, a stock's performance is governed by company fundamentals. Therefore, Telekom needs to have more strategic focus: to determine which business area has more growth and earnings potential and which market to serve. Its investment in Africa is reporting smaller returns than was initially forecast. Telekom's wholly owned subsidiary in Sri Lanka, MTN Networks is its fastest growing subsidiary.

Another possible regional acquisition will be Indonesian cellular operator, PT.Excelcomindo. The growth potential for the cellular industry is enormous in Indonesia and Telekom has been bidding for this company for about a year now.





The restructuring, has in fact, begun

Sources say the share placement has “killed two birds with one stone.” Khazanah has managed to raise funds while it paves the way for Telekom to buck up, now that its higher free float indicates that its share price is more vulnerable to investor sentiments. With that, the “restructuring” of Telekom has begun. Telekom's largest shareholder, the Government, is eager to turn its listed vehicles into more robust and dynamic entities. The changes towards this end will take place, maybe soon. “But it will be gradual,” says a highly placed government source.

The pressure is certainly on Telekom's management. There is “execution risk” for Telekom, says an analyst. “That is evident in the company's fourth quarter FY2003 results – the supposedly in-house disagreement on the Celcom relisting exercise and its network integration of Celcom and TM Cellular, have caused them the market lead position in the cellular industry. Maxis is now market leader,” he continues.

Usurping Maxis' lead position is going to be tough. For one, Maxis is strong management-dominated whereas Telekom is largely viewed as a civil service entity.

Clearly, Telekom has a host of issues it needs to address and fast – or it could be left out in the cold.

The race is on



THE race is now on for total market domination in the cellular phone industry. Leading the race, at pole position is Maxis Communications Bhd with total market share of 41 per cent, followed by Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd (Telekom Malaysia wholly owns Celcom) at 39 per cent and DiGi.com Bhd at 20 per cent. These three companies together have a 13 per cent hold on the KLCI (Kuala Lumpur Composite Index).

It's impressive to note that Maxis has managed to achieve strong subscriber growth without reducing prices for its starter pack kits (Maxis starter kits remain at RM68, while DiGi reduced theirs to RM38 in September 2003).

In terms of revenue market share in the post paid segment, Maxis controls 48 per cent, followed by Celcom with 38 per cent and the balance is with DiGi.

All three reported impressive earnings during the last quarter, closing the financial year ending December 2003 on a high note. DiGi's turnover was up 33 per cent year-on-year in the 12-month period ended Dec 31, 2003, driven largely by the mobile segment, which contributed 85 per cent of its revenue.

Pre-tax profit rose by a stronger 38 per cent as a result of tight cost control. EPS (earnings per share) was up 41 per cent to 19 sen.

Maxis had its best quarter ever despite one-off charges from its merger with TimeCel, closing 2003 with revenues of RM4.68 billion (2002: RM3.77 billion). Pre-tax profit amounted to RM1.27 billion but tax savings from TimeCel boosted net profit after tax by 94 per cent year-on-year to RM1.84 billion. EPS grew to 75.1 sen from 38.7 sen in 2002.

Telekom reported a net profit of RM1.39 billion, 65 per cent higher year-on-year on revenues that rose 20 per cent year-on-year to RM11.80 billion. EPS grew 63 per cent to 43.6 sen. Its mobile segment accounts for about 37 per cent of the total telephony revenue.

The game plan going forward for the cellular industry is pretty clear – to increase subscriber base growth in other areas apart from the Klang Valley.

“Growth in the cellular industry is still good,” says an analyst with a local research house. He adds that: “Mobile penetration rate is expected to hit 55 per cent by end-2005. The upside of a buoyant economy is that disposal income increases. Owning a hand phone is becoming increasingly affordable to the masses.”

Mobile penetration rate in the Klang Valley is already quite high, at about 70 per cent, while in Johor and Penang, it is less than 50 per cent. The east coast and Sabah and Sarawak penetration rate is less than 20 per cent.

Evidence of Maxis penetrating the Sabah and Sarawak market is that it has reduced the price of its starter kits to RM42 there, as that area becomes the next battlefield for new subscribers. “Thus, we are expecting ARPUs to trend downwards although Maxis continues to educate and encourage subscribers to use its value-added services with higher margins,” quips an analyst, referring to Maxis' non-SMS mobile data segment, that is ring tones, java games, wallpaper, MMS, with the latest being video streaming of certain channels from sister company, Astro.

DiGi already has quite a stronghold among the under 18s. Most teenagers can afford the relatively low priced starter kit and top-up cards. Added to that, going by the marketing campaigns and promotions, DiGi's target market are school going children to young adults in college while Maxis’ advertisements bring the well travelled professional executive figure to mind.

Where then does Celcom fit in with the Malaysian psyche? “That's not quite clear,” says an industry observer.



It is not all that clear cut

Celcom's relisting remains a source of uncertainty, largely owing to the split between Telekom's board members – one faction is pressing for the re-listing as soon as possible and the other half would like to see Celcom building value before a re-flotation.

Needless to say, the analyst fraternity is equally split on this issue. Some say that the proposed listing of Celcom provides investors a direct entry into Telekom's crown jewel, hence further diluting the appeal of the holding company.

As was evident in the recent financial results, Telekom is banking on its cellular business unit to offset slippage in its fixed line business, which is continuously eroded by minimal lines growth and the entrance of VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) players including the recently listed Redtone International Bhd.

But an online analyst wraps it up tidily: “The more crucial test would be to strengthen Celcom in terms of building profitability, which would provide a solid platform to explore further options ahead, re-listing or otherwise.”

Another school of thought, however, view that the re-listing of Celcom is likely within the current year and the impact of such a move should be positive to Telekom, at least until the proceeds from the IPO are deployed.

Telekom also faces the same challenges as most incumbent telcos around the world with deregulation and stagnant demand for traditional fixed line services. The growth prospects from these areas of business are limited. Revenue growth from data and Internet growth may be slightly stronger but would be diluted by pricing pressures from the Government.

The authorities may ask Telekom to reduce prices further in the medium term to drive penetration. Say Hwang-DBS in their report: “We are of the opinion that fixed line revenue will be flat over the next two years and see long term growth only between one to two per cent.

Data and Internet revenue growth may be slightly stronger but will not be enough to compensate for the decline in fixed line voice revenue.” Therefore, Telekom's best course of action would be to maximise cash flow by carefully targeting capital expenditure.



Fundamentals do not help either

The acquisition of Celcom caused a strain on its balance sheet although some say that the balance sheet is intact. As at end-2003, net debts were RM8.4 billion, compared with RM5.7 billion a year ago, translating to a net gearing of 50 per cent due to loans taken to finance the mandatory general offer for Celcom and the consolidation of debts at Celcom. However, Telekom's cash flows remain strong. Operating cash flows remain strong at RM4.6 billion for 2003, compared with RM3.2 billion a year ago.

Besides re-listing Celcom to reduce debt, Telekom would also need to sell its investments in Africa when opportunities arise and focus on cellular investments in the Asian region.

Maxis: No plan to buy stake in DiGi



MAXIS Communications Bhd, the country's biggest cellular phone company by subscribers, said yesterday it had no plans to buy a stake in rival DiGi.Com Bhd.

“It’s a total surprise,” chief executive Jamaludin Ibrahim said in a phone conversation. “It has never been discussed at the board level.”

Shares of DiGi.Com, Malaysia’s smallest mobile phone operator, have surged on speculation that Maxis may buy a stake in the company.

DiGi is majority-owned by Telenor ASA, Norway’s biggest phone company, with a 61% stake. Tan Sri Vincent Tan, the majority shareholder of Berjaya Group Bhd, owns 136.4 million shares or an 18% stake in DiGi.

Investors like Geoffrey Ng, who helps manage the equivalent of US$342mil in assets, including shares of Maxis and DiGi, at Pacific Mutual Fund Bhd in Petaling Jaya said such a move could be bad for consumers.

http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/040319/15/3iw5z.html
From Yahoo!

Friday March 19, 6:07 PM

Malaysia's Maxis: Digi.Com Buy Plan Report "Speculative"

KUALA LUMPUR (Dow Jones)--Maxis Communications Bhd. (5051.KU) described Friday as "speculative" a local newspaper report that said the cellular operator is looking to buy its smaller rival Digi.Com Bhd. (6947.KU).

"The company is not aware of the basis for the references made to Maxis," Maxis said in a statement to stock exchange.

ADVERTISEMENT
The Edge newspaper had said Thursday Maxis may buy 61% of Digi.Com from Norway's Telenor ASA (TEL.OS).

Digi.Com is the smallest of Malaysia's three cellular network operators. The other player is Telekom Malaysia Bhd.'s (4863.KU) Celcom.

From 3G newsroom
http://www.3gnewsroom.com/3g_news/mar_04/news_4335.shtml

Ericsson chosen for EDGE network upgrade in Malaysia

March 19, 2004

Ericsson has been selected by DiGi Telecommunications (DiGi) as a network infrastructure provider for its network upgrade to EDGE in the Klang Valley which includes the capital city of Kuala Lumpur.

Ericsson will supply the necessary EDGE network infrastructure and equipment, including the upgrade of associated core network and supply of radio access equipment for the activation of EDGE.

DiGi's Chief Technical Officer, Jon Eddy, said that the alliance was in line with DiGi's commitment to give its customers a seamless migration to next generation-wireless services.

"We are now working with two partners to implement our aggressive expansion plan to upgrade the network, enabling our more than 2.2 million customers to enhance their mobile multimedia experience with high speed data access," added Mr. Eddy.

"Ericsson has been a key partner in the deployment of DiGi's GSM network and we are honoured to be part of this significant milestone in the evolution its network in Klang Valley," said Mats H Olsson, Ericsson Malaysia's President & Country Manager.

"We hope that we can bring to the partnership some key learnings from our EDGE implementation experience that will enable DiGi to offer rich consumer experiences through new and exciting services, as well as support its needs for changing business models and high quality standards in end-to-end solutions," he added.

DiGi, a subsidiary of the Telenor Group of Norway, is one of Malaysia's leading mobile communications providers.

Telekom Malaysia may buy into Idea Cellular

REUTERS[ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2004 07:53:42 PM ]

KUALA LUMPUR: State-controlled phone company Telekom Malaysia on Wednesday said that it might take a stake in India's fifth-largest mobile operator, giving it access to one of the world's fastest growing mobile phone markets.



Idea Cellular Ltd is a three-way venture between the Tatas, the Birlas, and US-based AT&T Wireless Services Inc.



"Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) is continuously reviewing available investment opportunities overseas in line with its current international strategy and Idea Cellular is a potential opportunity that TM is looking at," the firm said in a statement.



Malaysian telecom firms are looking for opportunities abroad with the domestic fixed line market largely stagnant and the 11-million strong mobile market fast reaching saturation point.



Pune-based Idea Cellular has 2.74 million mobile customers out of India's total wireless user base of more than 33 million users.



A stake in the company would give the buyer a toehold in the world's fastest growing major wireless market in which only about three in a 100 Indians own a mobile phone compared with more than 20 in China.



Telekom made a bid for Indonesia's third-largest mobile phone firm Excelcomindo last year but the results are not yet known.



An industry source said in New Delhi that several telecom companies were in the race for buying AT&T Wireless' 33.3 per cent stake in unlisted Idea Cellular.



"But there is the first right of refusal that every shareholder in Idea has if any partner is selling out," the source said. The official did not say whether the Tatas or the Birlas had bid for AT&T's holding in the company.



Idea Cellular CEO Vikram Mehmi declined to comment on Telekom Malaysia's statement and AT&T Wireless officials could not be reached.



Media reports and analysts said that AT&T Wireless wanted to exit the Indian telecom sector after US-based Cingular Wireless agreed to buy it for $41 billion.



Idea Cellular competes with larger rivals such as Bharti Tele-Ventures, 28 per cent owned by Singapore Telecommunications, state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Reliance Infocomm in the fast growing Indian market.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/630914.cms

http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2004/4/27/corpit/7761849&sec=corpit

From The Star

Long article

Telekom: We?ll launch 3G when market is ready
BY CHARLES F. MOREIRA

TELEKOM Malaysia Bhd will launch its commercial third-generation (3G) cellular services only when the market is ready, and that could be anytime next year.

Its chief of group business restructuring and coordination, Datuk Dr Mohamed Khir Harun, said that Telekom aims to have its 3G network ready for commercial launch by the end of this year nonetheless.

However, it must first solve some technical problems, he told In.Tech recently.

Telekom?s current network is compliant with the Third Generation Partnership Project or 3GPP?s (www.3gpp.org) Release 99 (R99) specifications, but it will have to upgrade it to be compliant with the newer Release 4 (R4) before it can launch commercially.

?The problem with R99 is that its signalling specifications are not complete, leaving manufacturers to develop their own signalling where no specifications exist.

?This results in some network equipment not working with certain suppliers? handsets, or one supplier?s network equipment not working with another?s, which leads to interoperability and other problems,? said Khir.

New specifications were added to R4 which solve these problems.

Formalised in December 1998, 3GPP is a collaborative agreement between several telecommunications standards bodies to produce globally applicable technical specifications and reports for a 3G system based on an evolved GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) core.

Telekom expects R4-compliant equipment to be available in the third quarter, and is currently calling for tenders for such equipment. It expects its 3G network to be R4-compliant and commercially ready by the end of the year.

?However, we won?t commercially launch our 3G services until the market is ready and there?s a strong business case to justify the launch,? said Khir, adding that the telco would probably launch 3G services around the middle of next year.

As a 3G licensee, network owner and operator, Telekom won?t sell its 3G services directly to subscribers but rather through mobile virtual network operators such as its subsidiary Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd.

Phones, apps, content
In Telekom?s view, for the market to be ready, there must be a sufficient choice of handsets available to consumers at not more than 30% above the prices of current top-end GSM/ GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) phones.

There must also be enough applications and content which take advantage of 3G?s 384Kbps to 2Mbps data transfer rates to be worthwhile.

?For starters, most existing GPRS content and applications like multimedia messaging service (MMS), games, e-mail, logos, ringtones, applications, content, etc., can be ported to 3G phones,? said Khir.

3G-specific applications like videotelephony requires at least 384Kbps to run smoothly.

Other such apps include interactive games, location-based services (like downloadable maps, for example), streaming video, and downloadable MP3 music and video files.

Still, how many people are going to regularly watch videos, news and TV programmes on their mobile phones?

?They don?t have to watch it on their mobile phones,? said Khir. ?Instead they can watch the videos on their PC using the phone as a wireless modem over a wired, infrared or Bluetooth link.

?As Bluetooth becomes more prevalent, they might also be able to watch video on Bluetooth-enabled TVs. In Spain for instance, 3G operators are already providing subscribers with 3G PC Card modems to access these data applications and services on their notebook PCs,? he added.

Seeing stars on phones
To show the promise of 3G, Telekom gave In.Tech a demo at Menara Telekom, Kuala Lumpur, where a file was downloaded from an overseas site via a 3G phone to a Windows PC.

Windows indicated the download rate was 23.5Kbps to 235Kbps. However, Alcatel Network Systems (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd mobile network division manager for 3G support, Neeraj, claimed downloads from local sites achieved transfer rates of 384Kbps.

Alcatel installed the 3G network serving Menara Telekom and the surrounding areas.

Neeraj also demonstrated streaming videos of artistes like Siti Nurhaliza, Anita Sarawak and KRU, on a Motorola A835 3G phone, a Bluetooth-enabled Compaq iPAQ personal digital assistant (PDA) and a notebook PC via a USB cable to the phone.

The motion and sound were smooth, without any jerkiness, although in one instance there was some jerkiness during a videotelephony session.

Other 3G applications included watching TV news on the phone, sending and receiving e-mail, and so on.

Telekom?s Khir expects 3G phones to be used in machine-to-machine communications, like linking with intelligent home systems so the user can remotely view and monitor key areas of his home with a cellphone.

He also expects them to be used in fleet management to determine the location of operators? lorries and to perform file and document transfers across corporate intranets.

The charge issue
Local telcos charge as high as 2sen per kilobyte of GPRS data, so browsing the Web through a GPRS phone is a pricey option.

How affordable are local charges for 3G data going to be?

?GPRS networks are derived from GSM networks, which were designed for voice but not data communications,? said Khir.

GPRS data rates are a best-effort achieved by using multiple idle timeslots designed to carry the voicecalls of an equal number of phones.

However, GPRS dynamically uses these multiple timeslots to carry the packet data of even one GPRS phone, and despite whatever clever compression or encoding algorithms it may use to optimise timeslot usage, achieving satisfactory data rates of around 30Kbps over GPRS inevitably requires operators to increase their network capacity, even to accommodate an equal number of GPRS subscribers.

So they end up passing the costs to users.

?However, 3G systems are designed from the ground-up for mobile data, and they have the capacity to support data at more affordable rates.

?So based on the value of the service to endusers, we could for example charge them less than the price of a video CD for a streaming video of the same title,? said Khir.

Pioneer project
In January, Telekom launched its 3G Rollout Programme among approximately 300 selected pioneer subscribers who were required to provide the company with regular feedback on the network?s performance and their experiences of 3G applications, content and services.

Telekom?s current 3G network is divided into five clusters, each under the coverage of different suppliers? network equipment and covering different parts of the Klang Valley and Cyberjaya.

Menara Telekom is located in Cluster A, which uses Alcatel equipment. The cluster also includes parts of Petaling Jaya, and the Mid-Valley, Bangsar and KL Sentral areas of Kuala Lumpur.

Cluster B, using Ericsson equipment, covers the outdoor areas of Cyberjaya and parts of Putrajaya. Cluster C, using Huawei equipment, covers the outdoor areas of Bukit Bintang, Berjaya Times Square, Shangri-La Hotel, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Central Market and Menara Maybank ? all in Kuala Lumpur.

Cluster D, using Siemens and NEC equipment, includes the outdoor areas of KL City Centre, the Celcom headquarters, Keramat and Wangsa Maju in Kuala Lumpur; while Cluster E, using Nokia equipment, covers Sri Kembangan, Technology Park Malaysia, most of Sri Petaling, Serdang and Bukit Jalil ? again, all in Kuala Lumpur.

These subscribers pay a flat fee of RM30 per month for unlimited access, are assigned a home cluster covering where they work or live, and are loaned a 3G phone with a ?018? prefix 3G number. Due to the compatibility problems mentioned above, the phone make or model may be unique to their home cluster.

These terms are valid till the end of the year when the programme ends.

Currently, they can make 3G voice and videotelephony calls to fellow subscribers within their same home cluster or to subscribers in other home clusters at no extra charge.

Subscribers can also call any Telekom fixed-line nationwide or any Celcom 013 number from within their home cluster at no extra charge, and can also access 3G data services within their home cluster.

However, they can?t call Celcom 019, Maxis or DiGi mobile numbers, any international, short code, toll-free, or 1-300 number, nor even emergency services. Furthermore, for the time being, their phones won?t work when they are outside the coverage of their home cluster.

?However, the phones will be able to work on existing GSM networks when our 3G networks are upgraded to Release 4 towards the end of the year,? said Khir.

For further details on the rollout programme, call Telekom 3G at (03) 2020-9494 or its service centre at 1050.

cool!! Ericsson EDGE technology in Malaysia!! :) :hug:

I'm not very impressed with the EDGE technology.Looking forward to WCDMA or CDMA2000 though.You'll be happy if you're getting ISDN-like speeds with EDGE.Slightly faster than GPRS(similar to 56k dialup speed in real time) but still not much advantages.
I really hope that some celcos will go the CDMA2000EV-X route instead.

I'm not very impressed with the EDGE technology.Looking forward to WCDMA or CDMA2000 though.You'll be happy if you're getting ISDN-like speeds with EDGE.Slightly faster than GPRS(similar to 56k dialup speed in real time) but still not much advantages.
I really hope that some celcos will go the CDMA2000EV-X route instead.


EDGE is not in direct competition with UMTS/3G networks (WCDMA & CDMA2000). EDGE is merely an upgrade on our existing GSM infrastructure while 3G - given its higher bandwidth network, req a totally new infrastructure. Furthermore Edge handsets are widely available here so I guess it would catch on faster than 3G would as Maxis and Celcom are still testing their networks while Digi already readey to launched its commercial services. ;)

In fact it is not slightly faster than GPRS (which usually hovers around 20-40kb only)......it is about 3 times faster :D . Faster connection only enables smoother video/audio streaming at the moment....forget about downloading stuffs inbto your handphones as current phones do not have large capacity memory (or harddrive in this case). Furthermore what's the use of super high-speed lines when the phones out in the market are kinda limited in technology? :)

The fact is that we actually do not need such high speed at the moment.....so in my opinion EDGE would be sufficient ;)

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/11246.shtml

All you can eat data tariff for Malaysia

Unveiling a new phase in the roll out of its EDGE enabled services, Malysia's DiGi has now announced affordable and unlimited data usage under its mobile data package for DiGi postpaid customers. DiGi is targeting its high end data users - professional, young executives, the Small and Medium Industry (SMI) and youth segments with this High Speed Data package for GPRS/EDGE customers allowing them to access the Internet anywhere, anytime nationwide.

"Wireless capabilities have made a quantum leap for businesses and consumers alike. With our new EDGE network that has commercially been launched in Klang Valley, we are committed on providing services to our targeted customers to meet their expectations in terms of usability, packaged at reasonable costs," said DiGi's Head of Mobile, Mr. Erik Aas.

Under this package, DiGi customers will enjoy unlimited data usage at a flat rate of US$26 per month and will not be charged any registration fees. Customers also have the option of having the existing pay as you use model. This is applicable to both postpaid and prepaid customers.

In the recent financial results released by DiGi for the first quarter of financial year 2004, DiGi's mobile data contributed 13.8% of its total revenue.

To date, DiGi's EDGE network in Klang Valley is fully integrated with the current GSM/GPRS network nationwide. EDGE phones which are now readily available at affordable prices can be used on DiGi's GSM/GPRS/EDGE network.

Special bonus for TM Net customers



PETALING JAYA: TM Net Sdn Bhd broadband customers are in for a bonus.

Come Nov 1, the Internet service provider will upgrade all Streamyx broadband users on its 512Kbps (kilobits per second) package to faster 1Mbps (megabit per second) connections, at no extra cost.

Streamyx 384Kbps users are also being upgraded to 512Kbps connections.

Upgrading works are currently in progress in high traffic areas, with the rollout to all areas scheduled for completion by the end of the month, according to TM Net chief executive officer Datuk Baharum Salleh.

“We’re committed to enhancing the affordability of our services so that more Malaysians would be able to enjoy high speed Internet access,” he said.

Subscribers of TM Net’s Streamyx 512Kbps package currently pay RM88 a month for the service, while the 384Kbps package costs RM66 a month.

Existing TM Net customers who subscribe to faster, more expensive enterprise and corporate packages will also enjoy similar upgrades in the coming months, Baharum said at the launch of TM Net’s special edition prepaid ONE CD featuring a tribute to former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The CD contains multimedia content and applications on Dr Mahathir’s achievements, life and times.

TM Net is the country’s largest ISP, with nearly 1.8 million dial-up subscribers and over 170,000 broadband customers.

^^^ It is no wonder why I've been enjoying 768Kbps for the last 2 months! Although my area still under the 'slower' 768kbps......my fren's place had been upgraded to 1Mbps for the past one week already! :okay:

Too bad my office area is still 512kbps :(

Yuppz... we have been discussing that in another tech forum... got my 1mbps 2 weeks++ oredi!! Great man!!

Sigh...rm1000 installation and rm200 permonth for 128k in brunei..when can I actually get the real thing :cry:

Yuppz... we have been discussing that in another tech forum... got my 1mbps 2 weeks++ oredi!! Great man!!


yea....Time's Webbit, Time Broadband, Mango Net and Maxis Wireless Broadband still has got lots to catch-up on :D

WOO HOO!!! I din realised also.....I am on 1Mbps for 24hrs already!!! :banana:

WOO HOO!!! I din realised also.....I am on 1Mbps for 24hrs already!!! :banana:

great! now you can send me Malaysian tv-series and stuff to me!:);) :D

Yuppz... we have been discussing that in another tech forum... got my 1mbps 2 weeks++ oredi!! Great man!!

Wow! That's Cable speed!! impressive! Way to go consumerism!

I'm still stuck at 512kbps... sigh :(

Maxis to raise RM2.37b in loans
By Faizal Zakariah


Mobile operator Maxis Communications Bhd plans to raise a total of RM2.37 billion for business expansion and loan refinancing, its chief executive Datuk Jamaludin Ibrahim says.

He said the company would raise RM1 billion for business expansion and US$360 million (RM1.37 billion) for refinancing existing loans.

The company had appointed HSBC Holdings plc and ABN Amro as lead managers for the ringgit and dollar loans respectively, he told reporters after the launch of Maxis' 'push to talk over cellular' or POC service in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 2.

“We hope to finalise the loan agreements by the end of the year," he said.

Jamaludin said the loan refinancing would save Maxis “a few million ringgit”. He did not discount the possibility of Maxis acquiring other telcos in its regional expansion.

Meanwhile, he said Maxis was targeting 500 customers by mid-2005 for its GPRS-run POC phones, which combine the full features of a cellular handset and the advantages of a walkie-talkie.

The technology, described as a voice instant messaging service, allows the user to talk to one person or a group of up to 20 people at the same time.

About 200 select customers of Maxis are currently using the POC. The service would be made available to all Maxis customers next year, Jamaludin said.

He said Maxis was also considering investing in compression technology for POC to improve voice quality from its current “walkie-talkie” sound.

POC is accessible via Motorola’s V303p phone, which is priced at RM1,499 apiece. Another Motorola POC phone will be available later on.

Maxis controls 41% of the local mobile telecommunications market. Its rivals Celcom Malaysia and Digi.Com hold 38% and 21% respectively.

Maxis offers lower IDD and international SMS rates

KUALA LUMPUR Oct 31 - Maxis Communications Bhd Saturday offers its Maxis Postpaid and Hotlink customers lower charges on international direct dial (IDD) to a country of their choice while international SMS is at 20 sen per SMS.

Effective Nov 1, they can enjoy lower IDD call rates starting from 50 sen per minute to call China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States and Australia.

Customers would be charged 99 sen per minute for calls to Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and RM1.20 per minute for calls to Bangladesh and India, the telco said in a statement here Saturday.

The Maxis Special IDD rates and lower international SMS rates are valid till Feb 28, 2005.

Senior general manager of consumer marketing, Kiang Chew Peng, said that over 5.12 million customers are expected to benefit from the list of countries, which cover frequently called countries in both Europe and Asia.

"The current perception is that making international calls from mobile phones are expensive. However, with Maxis' Special IDD call rates, it is very affordable and certainly very much more convenient to call overseas from your Maxis Postpaid mobile or Hotlink," Kiang said.

With these great rates, she said that customers would not have to compromise on call quality when keeping in touch with their loved ones during this upcoming Deepavali, Hari Raya, Christmas and Year-End festive holiday seasons.

(To select your favourite country for new IDD rates, call 1 800 828 989 from your Maxis mobile. For Hotlink Prepaid customers, call 1312. For more information on Maxis, please visit www.maxis.com.my.).

Maxis Signs Agreement With Six Asia Pacific Telcos


KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- Maxis Communication Bhd Wednesday signed a joint venture agreement with six other leading operators in the Asia-Pacific to form regional alliance, Bridge Mobile Alliance.

The alliance, part of the company's growth strategy amidst globalisation, will give Maxis access to a combined base of over 56 million mobile subscribers.

Through this joint venture, Maxis's customers are expected to enjoy better seamless cross-border services and access to more advanced products.

In a statement today, Maxis said the regional grouping will operate through Bridge Mobile Pte Ltd (Bridge), a Singapore-incorporated company.

Maxis will be a founding member of the alliance together with Bharti (India), Globe Telecom (Philippines), Optus (Australia), Singtel (Singapore), Taiwan Cellular Corporation (Taiwan) and Telkomsel (Indonesia).
The seven operators will subscribe for an equal number of shares in Bridge Mobile for cash at par. As founding shareholders, they will each have permanent seat on its board of directors.

Bridge plans to invest US$30 million (RM3.80=US$1) to US$40 million over three years and is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2005.

Maxis' chief executive officer, Datuk Jamaludin Ibrahim, said some of the seamless services that customers would be able to enjoy immediately through the pact would be better voice and data roaming services in participating countries, Virtual Home Environment (VHE) experience when roaming and topping up prepaid accounts at the alliance partners' service counters.

He said more seamless services were expected to be rolled out in the coming months.

Jamaludin said Maxis would also be able to leverage on the alliance for joint product development.

"We will bring to market a dozen or so new products and services over the course of 2005," he said.

-- BERNAMA

JARING Aims 500,000 Wireless Broadband Internet Users By 2008


KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- Internet service provider JARING expects its wireless Internet broadband users to reach 500,000 by 2008, says chief executive officer Dr Mohamed Awang Lah.

Speaking to reporters at a press preview of the wireless Internet broadband service, which the company would launch after the Hari Raya Aiditfitri holidays, he said that the company is targeting 100,000 users in 2005.

Dr Mohamed, however, declined to disclose the exact date of the launch and the name of the service nor the price of the package.

He said that the package comes with a phone, broadband and a box, which is like a modem to receive wireless signals from the base stations.

The area of coverage is within a five kilometre radius from the base station, he said.

Dr Mohamed said that initially the area of coverage would be within the Klang Valley before being expanded to all states by the end of next year.

"The personal computer (PC) can be installed to the box, which has a nomadic feature and can be carried anywhere as long as it is within the coverage area. It can also be powered by a car battery," he said.

He said that the box has a maximum speed of 10 megabits but the ones offered to individual users would be about one megabit.

On the broadband package rates, he said that it would come in monthly or annual payments. As for the phone charge, he said that there will be no charge if the call is from box to box, unless it is used to connect to an outside network.

Meanwhile, when asked to comment on reports that the broadband market would be opened to foreign players, Dr Mohamed said that there was still a need to improve on the local broadband market first.

He said that foreign players would usually consider the urban areas, thus, leaving the rural parts to the local players.

When asked on the company's listing plan and whether it was contemplating on a merger, he said that no decision has been made on the listing while there was no merger talks with anyone.

As for its current separation status with parent company MIMOS Bhd, he said operationally, JARING has been separated from MIMOS since last year but legally it is still a part of MIMOS.

"We cannot be independent from our parent company because we cannot be separated financially. But we will become more independent as we progress," he said.

-- BERNAMA

DiGi Upgrades GSM Network To Be Edge-enabled


KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 (Bernama) -- High speed mobile network service provider, DiGi, has confirmed a RM125 million network upgrade on its existing platforms to well beyond the Klang Valley area.

The EDGE-enabled (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolutions) upgrade is the result of a joint collaboration between DiGi, Ericsson and Siemens, it said in a statement Thursday.

Work on the continued upgrade will include Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Ipoh, Kuantan, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and is expected to be completed by early next year.

"This new expansion demonstrates DiGi's continuing progress and evolution in the GSM deployment in leveraging on its commitment to enable a larger community to move quickly towards 3G (Third Generation) services," DiGi's chief technology officer, Jon Eddy said.

Through this partnership, both Siemens and Ericsson will provide the EDGE infrastructure including upgrades for activation on DiGi's GSM network.

-- BERNAMA

Source: The Edge Daily

Jaring to break away from Mimos
By Reese Loh

The country's first Internet service provider Jaring will be “legally” separated from its parent company Mimos Bhd soon, its chief executive officer Dr Mohamed Awang Lah says.

He said the separation would place Jaring in a better position to move forward in a more competitive manner, while Mimos would focus on research and development.

After the separation, Jaring would take its own investment course, including “a few hundred million” to capture its targeted 500,000 broadband service subscribers by 2008, he told reporters after a preview of its latest wireless broadband services in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 3.

To a question on the possibility of the separation opening the door to bids for a stake in Jaring, Mohamed said: "I will not discount anything (acquisition) at this stage.”

He would not disclose the terms of the separation scheme, saying that an announcement would be made in due course.

On its broadband services, Mohamed said Jaring would launch its latest offering after Hari Raya, with a target of 100,000 subscribers at end-2005.

The company has invested over RM20 million to build its broadband base stations.

He said the service would be made available initially to users in the Klang Valley and introduced to other states later.

http://img125.exs.cx/img125/8120/Jaring_inside.jpg
You can see the Soma's Wireless Broadband Modem in the picture...

The Star: 8th. November 2004

TIME dotCom makes comeback

BY HASNI MOHD NASIR

TIME dotCom Bhd is optimistic about its future direction and is banking on the next wave of broadband revolution to give the company a more meaningful presence as a corporate entity.

Managing director Tan See Yin said that compared with South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore, which achieved fixed-line broadband penetration rates of more than 30%, Malaysia was still behind with about 0.4% of households.

“With such a low base, we believe that the growth will be explosive once people fully accept all those services using broadband,” he told StarBiz in an interview.

Based on Government projections, Tan said, it would take another three to five years before the broadband acceptance would catch up in Malaysia.

“The Government, being a prime mover for broadband, is aiming for a 10% penetration rate by 2008 to be followed by private sector acceptance after that,” he said.

From the early days, Time dotCom, then known as Time Telecommunications Bhd, has aspired to be a premier telecommunications and broadband player in the country.

It spent billions of ringgit on infrastructure development, including the 5,200km submarine and terrestrial fibre optic cable around and across peninsular Malaysia along the North-South Expressway. It also operates a mobile network under TimeCel.

Then came the 1997 financial crisis, and like some other companies within the Renong group, TimeCel found itself in a financial crunch that subsequently affected its operations.

A financial restructuring followed and its telco licence subsequently hived off to another player.

“It was a good management decision, we were the smallest and it is better for it to be merged with an established player,” he said.

The proceeds from the sale of TimeCel helped to strengthen the balance sheet, with liquid funds of RM695mil as at Dec 31, 2003.

Tan said the company was ready to move on and this financial year ending Dec 31, 2004 would see some improvement in EBIDTA (earnings before interest, depreciation, taxation and amortisation).

“We still have a long way to go, but we will see some profitability at the EBITDA level this year,” he said.

The company had registered a pre-tax profit of RM7.9mil, arising from an extraordinary transaction in last financial year from a pre-tax loss of RM662mil in the preceding year.

Tan is confident of the company making it this time around with broadband, saying that “we have all the resources to make it happen”.

“We have the people, the assets and also the money,” he added.

While building its broadband business, Time dotCom is also focusing on the payphone and fixed-line businesses to generate revenue streams.

Fixed-line business remained the major revenue contributor, accounting for RM461mil or 58%.

“Payphone is a good business. We have about 32,000 payphones throughout the country and the division is generating good cashflow of about RM217mil last year.

“We are trying to increase the average revenue per user (ARPU) of these payphones by between 10% and 15% from about RM500 to RM550 per phone per month,” he said.

Tan said although vandalism and theft had affected the business, some controls had been put in place to counter the problems.

A monitoring system is installed in each of the phones, enabling it to track the amount of money and check for vandalism.

Even with the strong inclination by the public to use handphones, Tan said, there were still users who depended on public phones to communicate.

“The penetration rate for handphones is about 12 million, so there are another 12 million users who still depend on public phones,” he said.

He acknowledged that the broadband business was “rather difficult” - constrained by a number of regulatory issues, faced by fast-changing technology, falling voice and data rates and high depreciation cost - but the future of broadband was still promising.

“There is no need for a merger of this industry, only more cooperation among the players,” he said.

One area of cooperation that Tan is looking at is the lease of assets among the players.

“For instance, we have a ready fibre optic cable available for lease by any interested party,” he said.

He also said there was no point of spending more money on these assets as it would only result in outflow of money from the country.

“The resources are already there, we could always resort to sharing them among the players,” he said.

Motorola wins 3-year network contract from Maxis


Motorola Electronics Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Motorola Inc, has been awarded a three-year contract to expand and upgrade cellular and radio access networks for Maxis Communications Bhd.

Motorola Electronics said this contract would enable it to support Maxis in the latter’s transition to third generation (3G) networks.

In a statement on Nov 8, Motorola Electronics said it would finance a portion of the contract but did not give further details.

The collaboration between the two companies started 10 years ago, with Motorola installing Maxis’ pan-European operating standard known as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM).

Motorola Electronics also built and maintained Maxis’ 2G and 2.5G networks. In 2001, it installed the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) wireless data network for Maxis.

M'sia ready for user-centric broadband services
By Tong Yee Siong


The Malaysian market is ready for user-centric broadband services and telecommunications firms should now think of how to bring these services to their customers, says Alcatel Malaysia.

Alcatel said its recent online survey found that 88% of Malaysian respondents were willing to adopt user-centric broadband applications.

Carried out from August to September, the survey polled 2,779 telecommunications users, including 217 from Malaysia, of Microsoft’s MSN network across the Asia Pacific.

Alcatel Malaysia managing director Datuk Ampuan Yusof Kechil said the survey showed that the needs of Malaysian telecommunications users, both consumer and enterprise, were evolving at a fast pace.

“Malaysians are becoming increasingly tech-savvy and expect new communication services that are unified and powerful, yet simple to use,” he said in a statement on Nov 8.

Yusof said Malaysian respondents were most interested in adopting Internet security, one address book and unified messaging services.

He said 82% of the respondents “expressed particular appeal” for parental rights applications in order for them to track their children’s surfing routes on any fixed or mobile devices.

They were also most willing to pay a premium for services related to home and Internet security as well as best connection, but seemed unwilling to pay for the guardian angel services, he said.

He said Alcatel Malaysia envisioned a unified network infrastructure in the country, which would enable users to access broadband services from any available device with a single identity.

Celcom Plans To Increase Its Coverage From Existing 95 Percent


KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8 (Bernama) -- Celcom (M) Bhd, premier mobile cellular telecommunications company, is planning to increase its existing network coverage covering 95 percent of the populated areas in the future to provide better services to its customers.

Its group chief executive officer, Datuk Ramli Abbas said to achieve 100 percent of network coverage was possible, however it would cost a lot of money to construct such infrastructure.

"Every year, we have allocated certain amount of money in our expansion plan which includes the plan to increase network coverage," said Ramli, who declined to disclose the amount.

Beside the costs involved, the geographical factor of an area is also one of the reason of why it is hard to achieve 100 percent coverage.

The company always looking at expanding their network coverage as well as to ensure its customer did not face any difficulties especially in receiving clear reception, he said.

"However, we advise our customers to stay out from danger zones in order to receive clear reception especially in preventing any mishap from happening to them," Ramli said when commented on an accident involving a woman and her child who were run over by a train in Machang, Kelantan.

On Nov 1, Zurianawati Abas, 23, who was carrying her two-year-old daughter, Nor Zulaikha Ezatul Rahimi, had purportedly stepped onto the railway track for a clear reception when calling her husband on the handphone.

In the accident, both of them died instantly after been run over.


-- BERNAMA

Telekom to sell remaining stake in S Africa's Telkom


Telekom Malaysia Bhd will sell its remaining shares in Telkom SA Ltd via Thintana Communications LLC, to a South African black economic empowerment consortium.

Telekom announced on Nov 9 that subject to conditions that are expected to be met no later than Nov 15, Thintana's 15.1% stake in Telkom SA will be sold to the consortium.

Thintana holds a 15.1% interest in Telkom SA. Thintana is owned 60% by a subsidiary of SBC Communications Inc while Telekom holds the remaining 40% stake.

In June this year, Thintana reduced its ownership in Telkom SA from 30% to 15.1%.

Members of the South African consortium will include Wiphold, a group representing more than 300,000 women; a number of broad-based women's organisations from all nine South African provinces; and the National Independent Telecommunications Organisation, representing about 2,000 community service telephone operators with a strong rural bias.

Pay up, TM Net tells 7,000 subscribers
By Tamimi Omar


Telekom Malaysia Bhd unit TM Net Sdn Bhd says it will not write off charges that some 7,000 TM Net subscribers claim came from IDD calls made to international destinations without their knowledge via the Internet.

TM Net chief executive officer Datuk Baharum Salleh said the company could not excuse the bills for the international calls, as they were made willingly if not knowingly when they visited supposedly “fee” sites.

“When a user logs onto the net and enters a certain “free” adult entertainment website, the user is in fact registering to a foreign Internet service provider (ISP) and is required to pay international rates,” Baharum told the press in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 9.

He said the bills for customers who frequented these sites varied from just RM100 for some to as much as RM4,000. He declined to reveal how much was owed by the 7,000 customers.

“Investigations revealed that the IDD connections to international website numbers were made from residential premises and, as a result, the charges posted in customers’ bills are international call charges,” Baharum said.

He said this phenomenon usually affected dial-up Internet users. Those who only subscribed to broadband Internet were not affected by this problem, he said.

DIGI may apply for 3G licence
Francis Fernandez


DIGI.COM Bhd, Malaysia’s smallest mobile telephone company, is mulling the possibility of applying for a third generation (3G) mobile phone spectrum licence, barely two years after it stayed out of the fray for the high-spectrum licence.
Mail Money was told DiGi’s chief technical officer Jon Eddy had briefed the staff late last month on the possibility of the company applying for the licence from Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

In 2002, DiGi had decided to stay out of the fray, even though it is firmly believed the MCMC was prepared to offer DiGi the licence if it had submitted the application.

People who worked on the 2002 proposal say the decision to abstain was made at the very last minute before the submission to the MCMC closed.

Instead, DiGi had chosen to upgrade its network coverage by using the EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution) technology.

It is understood that DiGi, 61 per cent controlled by the Norway Government’s Telenor ASA, had allocated as much as RM380 million to upgrade its network by using the EDGE network this year alone.

The possibility of DiGi applying for the spectrum rights comes just a month after the MCMC said it may consider giving out an additional 3G licence.

Currently only Maxis Communications Bhd, the country’s largest mobile phone company, and Telekom Malaysia Bhd, Malaysia’s biggest fixed line provider, have the 3G licences.

The duo are expected to spend a total of RM7.8 billion over the next 10 years to bring high-speed mobile services to Malaysia

how many telecom companies (gsm) do you have in Malaysia?

Actually we have 5 companies namely Maxis 012, TMTouch 013, DiGi 016, TimeCel 017 and Celcom 019... but now Maxis has merged with TimeCel and TMTouch merged with Celcom... so now we have 3! ;)

Actually we have 5 companies namely Maxis 012, TMTouch 013, DiGi 016, TimeCel 017 and Celcom 019... but now Maxis has merged with TimeCel and TMTouch merged with Celcom... so now we have 3! ;)

great, salamat! it's somewhat similar in the philippines. :)

DiGi undertakes internal revamp
Francis Fernandez


DIGI.COM Bhd, which runs the smallest of Malaysia's three mobile network is believed to have undertaken an internal restructuring exercise to trim the fat in the company.
As part of the exercise, DiGi, which has an estimated staff strength of 1,450, merged its information technology unit and technical unit. The unit is now headed by Jon Eddy, the mobile phone company's chief technical officer.

Eddy, formerly with Maxis Communications Bhd, Malaysia's number one mobile phone company, will take on more responsibility, and in effect will be the second most important person in the setup after Morten Lundal, the group's chief executive officer.

Lundal is a nominee of Telnor ASA, the single largest shareholder of the Shah Alam-based DiGi. Telnor, a company controlled by the Norway Government which owns about 61 per cent of DiGi.

Mail Money was also told DiGi's chief financial officer, Ho Meng, had tendered his resignation. It is, however, not known if the resignation had anything to do with the internal restructuring exercise.

For the three months ended Sept 30 2004, DiGi's sales rose 32 per cent to RM576.9 million, while net income rose to RM82.5 million compared to 33.2 million.

For the three months ended September, DiGi had a customer base of 2.81 million as opposed to 2.59 customers as at the end of June while margins improved to 43.3 per cent from 38.6 per cent

Actually we have 5 companies namely Maxis 012, TMTouch 013, DiGi 016, TimeCel 017 and Celcom 019... but now Maxis has merged with TimeCel and TMTouch merged with Celcom... so now we have 3! ;)


Technically we have another two but they are not GSM but nonetheless cellular:

1) Mobikom (018)

2) ATUR (011)



Both are subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia but Mobikom had been dissolved following the aquisition of Celcom last year ;)

So now the prefix of 018 is available for those whom like to start a mobile company :D ....anyway we still have 014 and 015 which hasn't been taken up yet :D

Yuppz... and Celcom ART 900 (010) as well... but now dun have oredilarr... all their subscriber changed to Celcom (019) :D

Yuppz... and Celcom ART 900 (010) as well... but now dun have oredilarr... all their subscriber changed to Celcom (019) :D


Technically ART 900 is under Celcom.......rather than like Mobikom and ATUR which is a seperate company (I think ATUR is a separate company). It is like you can't buy ART 900 out of Celcom but if you want to own it you'll have to buy Celcom.

I could be wrong.....only someone whom had worked long enuf in Celcom could ans me that hehe :D

The prefix 018 is still owned by Telekom today and they will be currently testing it for their soon to be launched 3G services.In the future all Telekom 3G mobile users wil be assigned 018-******* numbers.

[SIZE=4]
The duo are expected to spend a total of RM7.8 billion over the next 10 years to bring high-speed mobile services to Malaysia

In ten years time newer and cheaper technologies such as Flash OFDM and WiMAX might have already replaced them.Their progress is just too slow.

The prefix 018 is still owned by Telekom today and they will be currently testing it for their soon to be launched 3G services.In the future all Telekom 3G mobile users wil be assigned 018-******* numbers.


Nope.....the 018 prefix are now back in the hands of MCMC and Telekom no longer owns it. Telekom's 3G prefix would be 019 ;)

In ten years time newer and cheaper technologies such as Flash OFDM and WiMAX might have already replaced them.Their progress is just too slow.


We are all still not too sure what technology would prevail but it would take sometime for WiMAX to replaced mobile technology like UMTS (3G) because of the minaiturisation of equipment. Furthermore WiMAX equipment require lotsa electricity making today's mobile equipment useless. It would take years before we could see a new technology such as WiMAX to be incorporated into phones. Furthermore WiMAX needed the support of telecommunication giants (both service providers and equipment suppliers) ;)

Oh and one more thing - WiMAX aren't susceptable to moving base unlike UMTS. That mean you can't simply use your WiMAX handphone or laptop to sulf the net on the move :( We'll need to see tremendous improvement in WiMAX and Flash OFDM before they could be marketed to consumers ;)

Nope.....the 018 prefix are now back in the hands of MCMC and Telekom no longer owns it. Telekom's 3G prefix would be 019 ;)

Telekom still has rights to the 018 prefix la.They were previously using it for their CDMA wireless fixed phones.Now they're currently using it for the 3G pilot trials in some areas like Bangsar and Cyberjaya.I heard you can only make calls to/from users in the same area with a flat rate evey month for now.But that's if you're selected for their pilot project.

==========================================

TELEKOM Malaysia Bhd will launch its commercial third-generation (3G) cellular services only when the market is ready, and that could be anytime next year.

Its chief of group business restructuring and coordination, Datuk Dr Mohamed Khir Harun, said that Telekom aims to have its 3G network ready for commercial launch by the end of this year nonetheless.

However, it must first solve some technical problems, he told In.Tech recently.

Telekom’s current network is compliant with the Third Generation Partnership Project or 3GPP’s (www.3gpp.org) Release 99 (R99) specifications, but it will have to upgrade it to be compliant with the newer Release 4 (R4) before it can launch commercially.

“The problem with R99 is that its signalling specifications are not complete, leaving manufacturers to develop their own signalling where no specifications exist.

“This results in some network equipment not working with certain suppliers’ handsets, or one supplier’s network equipment not working with another’s, which leads to interoperability and other problems,” said Khir.

New specifications were added to R4 which solve these problems.

Formalised in December 1998, 3GPP is a collaborative agreement between several telecommunications standards bodies to produce globally applicable technical specifications and reports for a 3G system based on an evolved GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) core.

Telekom expects R4-compliant equipment to be available in the third quarter, and is currently calling for tenders for such equipment. It expects its 3G network to be R4-compliant and commercially ready by the end of the year.

“However, we won’t commercially launch our 3G services until the market is ready and there’s a strong business case to justify the launch,” said Khir, adding that the telco would probably launch 3G services around the middle of next year.

As a 3G licensee, network owner and operator, Telekom won’t sell its 3G services directly to subscribers but rather through mobile virtual network operators such as its subsidiary Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd.

Phones, apps, content
In Telekom’s view, for the market to be ready, there must be a sufficient choice of handsets available to consumers at not more than 30% above the prices of current top-end GSM/ GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) phones.

There must also be enough applications and content which take advantage of 3G’s 384Kbps to 2Mbps data transfer rates to be worthwhile.

“For starters, most existing GPRS content and applications like multimedia messaging service (MMS), games, e-mail, logos, ringtones, applications, content, etc., can be ported to 3G phones,” said Khir.

3G-specific applications like videotelephony requires at least 384Kbps to run smoothly.

Other such apps include interactive games, location-based services (like downloadable maps, for example), streaming video, and downloadable MP3 music and video files.

Still, how many people are going to regularly watch videos, news and TV programmes on their mobile phones?

“They don’t have to watch it on their mobile phones,” said Khir. “Instead they can watch the videos on their PC using the phone as a wireless modem over a wired, infrared or Bluetooth link.

“As Bluetooth becomes more prevalent, they might also be able to watch video on Bluetooth-enabled TVs. In Spain for instance, 3G operators are already providing subscribers with 3G PC Card modems to access these data applications and services on their notebook PCs,” he added.

Seeing stars on phones
To show the promise of 3G, Telekom gave In.Tech a demo at Menara Telekom, Kuala Lumpur, where a file was downloaded from an overseas site via a 3G phone to a Windows PC.

Windows indicated the download rate was 23.5Kbps to 235Kbps. However, Alcatel Network Systems (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd mobile network division manager for 3G support, Neeraj, claimed downloads from local sites achieved transfer rates of 384Kbps.

Alcatel installed the 3G network serving Menara Telekom and the surrounding areas.

Neeraj also demonstrated streaming videos of artistes like Siti Nurhaliza, Anita Sarawak and KRU, on a Motorola A835 3G phone, a Bluetooth-enabled Compaq iPAQ personal digital assistant (PDA) and a notebook PC via a USB cable to the phone.

The motion and sound were smooth, without any jerkiness, although in one instance there was some jerkiness during a videotelephony session.

Other 3G applications included watching TV news on the phone, sending and receiving e-mail, and so on.

Telekom’s Khir expects 3G phones to be used in machine-to-machine communications, like linking with intelligent home systems so the user can remotely view and monitor key areas of his home with a cellphone.

He also expects them to be used in fleet management to determine the location of operators’ lorries and to perform file and document transfers across corporate intranets.

The charge issue
Local telcos charge as high as 2sen per kilobyte of GPRS data, so browsing the Web through a GPRS phone is a pricey option.

How affordable are local charges for 3G data going to be?

“GPRS networks are derived from GSM networks, which were designed for voice but not data communications,” said Khir.

GPRS data rates are a best-effort achieved by using multiple idle timeslots designed to carry the voicecalls of an equal number of phones.

However, GPRS dynamically uses these multiple timeslots to carry the packet data of even one GPRS phone, and despite whatever clever compression or encoding algorithms it may use to optimise timeslot usage, achieving satisfactory data rates of around 30Kbps over GPRS inevitably requires operators to increase their network capacity, even to accommodate an equal number of GPRS subscribers.

So they end up passing the costs to users.

“However, 3G systems are designed from the ground-up for mobile data, and they have the capacity to support data at more affordable rates.

“So based on the value of the service to endusers, we could for example charge them less than the price of a video CD for a streaming video of the same title,” said Khir.

Pioneer project
In January, Telekom launched its 3G Rollout Programme among approximately 300 selected pioneer subscribers who were required to provide the company with regular feedback on the network’s performance and their experiences of 3G applications, content and services.

Telekom’s current 3G network is divided into five clusters, each under the coverage of different suppliers’ network equipment and covering different parts of the Klang Valley and Cyberjaya.

Menara Telekom is located in Cluster A, which uses Alcatel equipment. The cluster also includes parts of Petaling Jaya, and the Mid-Valley, Bangsar and KL Sentral areas of Kuala Lumpur.

Cluster B, using Ericsson equipment, covers the outdoor areas of Cyberjaya and parts of Putrajaya. Cluster C, using Huawei equipment, covers the outdoor areas of Bukit Bintang, Berjaya Times Square, Shangri-La Hotel, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Central Market and Menara Maybank – all in Kuala Lumpur.

Cluster D, using Siemens and NEC equipment, includes the outdoor areas of KL City Centre, the Celcom headquarters, Keramat and Wangsa Maju in Kuala Lumpur; while Cluster E, using Nokia equipment, covers Sri Kembangan, Technology Park Malaysia, most of Sri Petaling, Serdang and Bukit Jalil – again, all in Kuala Lumpur.

These subscribers pay a flat fee of RM30 per month for unlimited access, are assigned a home cluster covering where they work or live, and are loaned a 3G phone with a “018” prefix 3G number. Due to the compatibility problems mentioned above, the phone make or model may be unique to their home cluster.

These terms are valid till the end of the year when the programme ends.

Currently, they can make 3G voice and videotelephony calls to fellow subscribers within their same home cluster or to subscribers in other home clusters at no extra charge.

Subscribers can also call any Telekom fixed-line nationwide or any Celcom 013 number from within their home cluster at no extra charge, and can also access 3G data services within their home cluster.

However, they can’t call Celcom 019, Maxis or DiGi mobile numbers, any international, short code, toll-free, or 1-300 number, nor even emergency services. Furthermore, for the time being, their phones won’t work when they are outside the coverage of their home cluster.

“However, the phones will be able to work on existing GSM networks when our 3G networks are upgraded to Release 4 towards the end of the year,” said Khir.

For further details on the rollout programme, call Telekom 3G at (03) 2020-9494 or its service centre at 1050.

^^^ This news is from April this year so it is kinda outdated in the fast-paced mobile world ;)

The thing is that Telekom Malaysia had to give up 018 is because it is no longer operates a mobile network for that prefix and that prefix are deemed to be solely used for mobile network. ;) Its CDMA telephony services no longer uses this prefix and I am very very sure that its 3G trials uses 019 prefix. :)

We've got official news within the mobile industry that 019 is gonna be their final prefix for 3G ;)

Telekom sells SA Telkom stake for RM1.62b

Telekom Malaysia Bhd has completed the disposal of its 6% stake in South Africa's Telkom SA Ltd for US$427 million (RM1.62 billion) to a South African black economic empowerment consortium.

Trading of Telekom shares were halted at 9.16am for the announcement of the completion of the disposal on Nov 17. The counter rose 50 sen to RM12.10.

On Nov 9, Telekom said it was selling the remaining 33.64 million shares in Telkom via Thintana Communications LLC, to a South African black economic empowerment consortium.

Thintana holds a 15.1% interest or 84.11 million Telkom shares. Thintana is 60% owned by a subsidiary of SBC Communications Inc while Telekom holds the remaining 40% stake. The total sale consideration was US$1.06 billion.

Telekom said in the Nov 17 announcement that the disposal of its 6% stake in Telkom would result in Telekom "generating an exceptional gain of approximately RM860 million for the current financial year ending Dec 31, 2004".

Telekom's initial cost of investment for the stake that was disposed was approximately RM645 million.

"This is expected to improve Telekom's basic earnings per share by 25.9 sen (based on rated average of shares as at Sept 30, 2004) and net tangible assets per share by 25.6 sen for the year ending Dec 31, 2004.

"The gross proceeds of approximately RM1.62 billion will be used, inter-alia, to reduce the group's borrowings, for possible reinvestments and general financing requirements," Telekom said

DiGi unveils package with Nokia communicator

DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd has unveiled a package for its Discover customers, enabling the SMI market to use latest technologies in mobile communications to enhance their business, the company said on Nov 26.

The move was to cater to the increasing demand of businesspeople on the move, it said in a statement.

DiGi is partnering Nokia in bringing to the SMI market a more advanced EDGE communication tool - the Nokia 9500 communicator.

It has launched a special package for its Discover Prime customers to purchase the phone for RM2,988 - against the actual price of RM3,988, giving them savings of up to RM1,000 per device.

DiGi said the communicator's fullest capabilities could only be achieved using DiGi's HighSpeed Mobile Network.

It said its customers who own the phone could conduct their businesses on the move, as they will have with them a full set of business tools, applications and optimum network connectivity.

"Combining the power of our service and this new gadget, DiGi's customers are able to enjoy the power of mobility through mobile communication. This is what we call smart solutions," said DiGi head of business sales Jeff Chong.

He said with DiGi's package of Discover Prime and the Nokia communicator, customers would literally have an office on the road with WAP browsing, corporate e-mail, financial and stock information, live traffic, news and video streaming, high memory capacities, personal organiser and business applications.

"We will continue to meet our customer's needs for HighSpeed Mobile Network by introducing more practical and simple bundles as we anticipate an increase in new EDGE-enabled devices from various manufacturers," Chong said.

Hotlink offers 50% off in 5th anniversary celebration

Maxis Communications Bhd's Hotlink is having a year-end special promotion that takes 50% off all nationwide on-net calls and SMS for prepaid customers in conjunction with the brand's fifth anniversary.

Maxis head of prepaid service Chee Loo Fun said: "2004 is the 5th anniversary of Hotlink's founding. To celebrate the power of 5, and to thank the hundreds of millions of customers who have helped make Hotlink the number one prepaid in Malaysia, we are proud to kick off the 50% promotion."

Effective Dec 1, prepaid customers on the Hotlink Talk Plan will be able to enjoy nationwide calls as low as 15 sen per minute, while customers on the SMS Plan need only pay two sen to send an SMS to anyone within the Maxis network.

"Under the enhanced Talk Plan, Hotlink customers can now call their friends and family at 30 sen per minute during peak calls and 15 sen per minute during off-peak calls within the network, down from 60 sen and 30 sen respectively.

"This year-end promotion makes it twice as easy for Hotlink customers to call at low, low rates, especially considering that we recently reduced our tariff rates," said Chee, adding that Talk Plan rates would be charged on 30-second blocks.

Under the SMS plan, customers enjoy an all-flat rate of two sen per SMS when they text their friends within the 012 and 017 mobile community.

Maxis said Hotlink's fifth anniversary was on the back of its festive promotion on its starter kit that is currently priced at RM20. Both offers end on Dec 31, 2004. For more information, visit www.hotlink.com.my.

The Edge: 29th. November 2004

Telekom to renew Excelcom bid

Telekom Malaysia Bhd plans a fresh bid for Indonesia's third-biggest mobile firm, Excelcomindo, a Telekom source said, as it eyes growth in the neighbouring nation as growth slows at home.

Telekom made a bid for unlisted PT Excelcomindo Pratama in 2003 but the process stalled amid uncertainties over Indonesia's elections for parliament and president this year, the source told Reuters.

"We had to start from scratch again but we are now ready to go," the source said.

Excelcomindo is 60% owned by Rajawali Group's PT Telekomindo Primabhakti, 23% by Verizon Communications Inc, 13% by the Asian Infrastructure Fund and 4% by Japan's Mitsui & Co. Verizon said last year it was trying to sell its stake.

Telekom is looking to acquire a controlling stake in Excelcomindo, the source said. However, Telekom and a spokesman from Excelcomindo declined comment.

The source did not give a precise reason why the initial bid lapsed or details on pricing for the old and new bids.
Telekom is scouting for opportunities in countries close to Malaysia, where growth is slowing.

Around one in 10 of Indonesia's 220 million people use mobile phones, much lower than Malaysia's rate of nearly 50% and Thailand's 40%.

"Telekom has to expand regionally in countries that have a big base and low penetration rates. You have to get into these countries to expand," said Abdul Razak Don, who helps manage RM2 billion worth of shares at Malaysia National Insurance, including Telekom stocks.

Telekom had some RM5.50 billion in cash at the end of June and this is set to grow by RM860 million after it sold its remaining shares in South Africa's Telkom SA.

Telekom is planning to buy a one-third stake in India's Idea Cellular Ltd. in partnership with Singapore Technologies Telemedia Pte, Idea said in June. - Reuters

Telekom, Maxis results 'within expectations'
By CINDY YEAP


THIRD-quarter earnings of Telekom Malaysia Bhd and Maxis Communications Bhd are expected to be within market expectations, but analysts are keen to see how rival DiGi.Com Bhd has eaten into the market share of the two companies in the mobile phone sector.

Telekom and Maxis are expected to release their third-quarter results tomorrow.

Analysts contacted were not expecting any major variations to their forecasts, but are keen to see how current mobile leader Maxis and the country’s oldest cellular operator, Celcom (M) Bhd, fared against their smaller rival, DiGi which has reported another set of record earnings for the months of June to September 2004.

“We expect another solid set of numbers from Maxis, and more news on Telekom’s continual improvement in cost efficiencies.

“For Telekom, there could possibly be some extra dividend, given that it has sold its stake in Telkom SA, but it’s not too big. If at all, it is not something to be too excited about, just a little bit extra,” a senior telecommunications analyst said.

An analyst with a local bank-backed brokerage concurred, noting foreign exchange gains from Telekom’s disposal of its remaining interest in Telkom South Africa, as opposed to the first sale in June.

Telekom made a one-time gain of RM640 million (19.5 sen per share) from the sale of a 14.9 per cent stake in Telkom in June, while the sale of the remaining 15.1 per cent Telkom shares last month will bring a one-time gain of RM860 million (25.9 sen per share).

“Yes, I i think something small is possible, but Telekom may not do so as they need cash to purchase Idea Cellular Ltd. There’s again speculation of Telekom eyeing Indonesia’s PT Excelcomindo Pratama. No harm keeping a war chest,” she said.

Last month, Telekom chief executive Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar said it expects to conclude by year-end talks for its joint-acquisition of a 33 per cent stake in Idea Cellular, India’s No 5 mobile-services provider.

Telekom is partnering Singapore Technologies Telemedia Pte Ltd in this venture.

Analysts declined to speculate on how much of the one-time gains will be distributed to shareholders in dividends, given the amount needed for reinvestment and to cut borrowings.

It is learnt that there is possibly an additional cost for a voluntary separation scheme this year in Telekom’s books.

Tomorrow’s announcement will also verify DiGi’s claim that it has won market share from its rivals, and provide a better gauge of who is surviving the best from recent successive price cuts.

DiGi added 221,000 subscribers in the third quarter, its all-time high, bringing its total user base to 2.81 million.

It was the only operator that gained ground in terms of percentage in the second quarter. Some 2.65 million, or 94.55 per cent of its users are prepaid subscribers.

As at June 30, Maxis had 5.12 million subscribers, just over 41 per cent share of Malaysia's 12.38 million mobile phone subscribers. Celcom had close to 38 per cent (4.67 million) while DiGi just under 21 per cent (2.59 million).

Early this month, Celcom in its Xplore prepaid advertisements, carried the tag-line “Don’t limit yourself to only five or six friends. Connect with more than 5 million at the lowest SMS and call rates ever”.

Not to be outdone, Maxis’s new Hotlink advertisement invited Malaysians to connect to “Malaysia’s largest and hottest community, with a base approaching 6 million subscribers” at 50 per cent discount in the month of December, matching Celcom’s lowest SMS rate of 2 sen with its SMS plan.

Analysts polled by Thompson’s I/B/E/S estimates expect Telekom’s 2004 sales at RM13.21 billion, net income of RM1.98 billion, and operating profit of RM2.72 billion. Net income forecasts for Telekom are between RM1.31 billion and RM2.71 billion, on the back of sales from RM12.48 billion to RM13.91 billion.

For Maxis, Thompson’s poll has 2004 consensus of RM5.6 billion sales, RM1.47 billion in net income, and RM2.15 billion in operating profit. Maxis’ net income forecasts range from RM1.20 billion to RM1.90 billion over RM5.47 billion to RM5.99 billion in sales.

In the first half ended June 30, Telekom booked a RM1.50 billion net profit over RM6.50 billion in sales, while Maxis booked RM788 million net profit over RM2.73 billion in sales in the same period.

The Star: 30th. November 2004

TM Net eyes 1,000 hot spots

Internet service provider TM Net, sees its hot spots growing to 1,000 by the middle of 2005 from the present 451, said chief executive officer Datuk Baharum Salleh.

“Actually, our plan was to set up 1,000 spots by this year. However, there were some delays with the site owners,” he told reporters after the launch of TM Net and Celcom (M) Bhd’s collaborated wireless fidelity service (WiFi) in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

“Hopefully, there will be 2,000 hotspots by the end of next year,” he said.

TM Net had also obtained the approval to set up hot spots in local universities including Universiti Malaya, Universiti Putra Malaysia and University of Nottingham in Jalan Conlay, he added.

To date, there are about 24,000 TM Net subscribers using the facilities nationwide, of which 10,000 are post-paid users and 14,000 prepaid.

“We are growing rapidly. In one year’s time, we hope to double or triple the number of users nationwide,” he said.

Currently, there are 224 hot spots in the Klang Valley, 17 in Negeri Sembilan and Perak, five in Malacca and Kelantan, 18 in Johor and Kedah, 48 in Pulau Pinang, eight in Pahang, 12 in Terengganu, 55 in Sarawak and 24 in Sabah.

In its collaboration with international partner, iPass, TM Net also provides 9,000 hot spots around the world.

Meanwhile, Celcom CEO Datuk Ramli Abbas said the WiFi service by both the Telekom subsidiaries would now allow Celcom customers gain easy access to wireless broadband Internet at TM Net hot spots by requesting their login identification or password via the short messaging system (SMS).

For the first half this year, Ramli said Celcom had 4.7 million subscribers, of whom 70% were prepaid users and 30% post-paid. – Bernama

Telekom/Spore Firm To Buy 47.7 Percent Stake In Indian Mobile Firm For US$390

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 (Bernama) -- A consortium comprising TM International, the international arm of Telekom Malaysia Bhd, and Singapore Technologies Telemedia, have entered into definitive agreements to acquire a 47.7 percent stake in India's leading cellular operator, IDEA Cellular for US$390 million (RM1.482 billion).

The investment is strategic as it is consistent with the aims of both TM International and ST Telemedia to become significant wireless players in the Asian market as well as to participate in the growth opportunities in the highly lucrative Indian capital market.

Both companies are Asia's leading telecommunications companies with global operations while IDEA has a subscriber base of over 4.5 million with operations in four of the five largest cellular circles in India.

Under the terms of the agreement, the consortium would acquire the entire stake from Cingular Wireless and simultaneously infuse additional capital into IDEA.

Earlier today, the consortium, structured as a 60:40 joint venture with ST Telemedia holding 60 percent and TM International 40 percent, entered into agreements with IDEA and its three largest shareholders -- Cingular Wireless, the Tata Industries and the Aditya Birla Group.

Tata Industries is India's best known industrial group with an estimated turnover of US$14.25 billion (RM54.15 billion).

The companies, in a joint statement issued today, said that upon the completion of the transaction expected in the first quarter of next year, they would become the single largest shareholder of IDEA with a 47.7 percent stake.

The Indian shareholders would continue to collectively own a majority 51 percent stake comprising the Adiya Birla Group with 26.3 percent and Tata Industries with 24.7 percent equity.

Besides this, the consortium and the Indian shareholders have entered into a option agreement that enables Tata Industries and the Aditya Birla Group to sell to the consortium their shares in IDEA in the future.

The statement said that the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and government proposals.

Telekom Malaysia's Group Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar, said in the statement that the utility company has re-strategised its international investments to focus on regional markets closer to Malaysia.

This acquisition comes two days after Telekom Malaysia's acquisition of PT Excelcomindo, Indonesia's third largest mobile operator.

"In this regard, our investment in IDEA Cellular strengthens our regional presence and complements our existing presence in Sri Lanka where we are the number one and Bangladesh where we are the number two mobile operator."

"We expect IDEA to contribute positively to the overall performance of Telekom Malaysia in the near future," he said.

Lee Theng Kiat, ST Telemedia's President and Chief Executive Officer, said "the investment in IDEA Cellular is yet another major milestone in the expansion of ST Telemedia's wireless footprint."

"It will enhance ST Telemedia's regional presence and create potential new synergies with the group's existing businesses," he said.

"With the consortium's track record in managing telecommunications companies around the world, and IDEA's competitive strengths, we look forward to delivering increased customer value and building a prosperous future with the company's management and employees," Lee said.

TM International's Chief Executive Officer, Christian de Faria, expressed confidence in the Indian telecommunications market, saying it was "a promising area of growth."

"As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia, we are optimistic about the role that TM International can play in IDEA and the Indian cellular market," he said.

In welcoming the investment by the Singaporean and Malaysian telecommunications giants, Sanjeev Aga, the Director of Adiyta Birla Management Corporation Limited, which is part of the Aditya Birla Group, said the investment would improve IDEA's capital structure, position IDEA for the next stage of growth and in turn, enhance the value of IDEA's business for all its stakeholders."

Aga said: "At present, we will retain our investment in IDEA and in keeping with the Adiya Birla Group's objectives, we may choose to exercise our exit option from the company at a suitable time in the future."

The consortium is advised by Merril Lynch and JP Morgan and Cingular Wireless is advised by Deutsche Bank.

TM International oversees and manages Telekom Malaysia's international ventures with operations and financial interests in Malawi, Guinea, Ghana, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand and Cambodia.

It recently acquired a 27.3 percent stake in PT Excelcomindo Pratama of Indonesia, as well as divested its 12.6 percent stake in Telkom South Africa after eight years of operations.

It contributed about 28.7 percent of the group's net profit after tax last year.

In the first half of this year, its profit-after tax stood at US$77 million (RM292.9 million), up a significant 124.2 percent from US$34.4 million (RM130.6 million) in the same period last year.

-- BERNAMA

Telekom To Acquire Excelcomindo Of Indonesia


KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 (Bernama) -- Telekom Malaysia Bhd, through its wholly owned international investment arm, TM International (L) Ltd, will be acquiring 27.3 percent of the issued and paid-up share capital of Indonesia's number three mobile operator, PT Excelcomindo Pratama (XL).

TM International has reached an agreement with the Rajawali Group, the principal shareholders of XL for the initial acquisition for US$314 million cash.

Excelcomindo, established in November 1995, was the third mobile telephone operator to adopt the global system for mobile communications (GSM) standard in Indonesia, and currently has 4.2 million mobile phone subscribers.

"The transaction is structured as an initial acquisition of 27.3 percent interest, together with transfer of majority management and board control to Telekom," Telekom said in a statement Thursday.

"We are excited to acquire a substantial equity interest in XL and hope we can increase our stake further. This is a clearly a major acquisition for us," chairman of Telekom Tan Sri Ir Radzi Mansor said.

He said that the acquisition was in line with Telekom's strategy to acquire mobile assets in low penetrated markets close to home.

"Indonesia is the largest economy in the Asean region and should have the largest number of subscribers in the region going forward," he added.

Telekom said the transaction would complement XL's plan for an initial public offering during the first half of 2005.

XL holds a market share in Indonesia of approximately 15.5 percent as of Sept 30, 2004 and captured 18.6 percent of net mobile subscribers additions.

The company also has a substantial presence in the Indonesian corporate data market and is developing businesses in VoIP and wireless broadband.

It recorded a gross revenue of Rp2,301 billion (approximately US$254 million) in the first nine months of 2004.

Meanwhile, group chief executive officer of Telekom, Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar said Telekom aimed to enhance XL's market position in Indonesia, and at the same time would contribute substantially to Telekom's future growth.

"We believe our position as Malaysian market leader, combined with our extensive experience as a regional investor, will be beneficial to XL," Wahid said.

-- BERNAMA

Utusan Malaysia: 14th. December 2004

Jaring lancar perkhidmatan jalur lebar internet my015

SUBANG 12 Dis. - Penyedia Perkhidmatan Internet (ISP), Jaring, melancarkan perkhidmatan jalur lebar internet tanpa wayar yang dikenali sebagai my015.

Perkhidmatan komunikasi bersepadu itu kini memulakan operasinya di beberapa kawasan di Lembah Kelang iaitu di Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Seri Kembangan, Shah Alam, Klang dan Damansara sebelum mengembangkan sayapnya di lokasi lain tahun depan.

Perkhidmatan my015 adalah pakej yang menyediakan satu telefon, jalur lebar dan sebuah kotak seperti satu modem untuk menerima isyarat wayarles dari stesen pangkalan.

Sistem jalur lebar tanpa wayar `plug-and-surf' terdiri daripada stesen pangkalan iaitu menghantar isyarat kepada pengguna bagi menerusi `stesen penerima' tanpa wayar yang boleh dipasang sendiri.

Jalur lebar ini mempunyai ciri mudah alih, boleh dibawa ke mana-mana dan boleh dipasang pada komputer peribadi di dalam kawasan liputan.

Kotak yang berfungsi seperti modem itu mempunyai kelajuan maksimum 10 megabit tetapi perkhidmatan yang ditawarkan kepada pengguna individu mempunyai kelajuan kira-kira satu megabit.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Jaring, Dr. Mohamed Awang Lah berkata, my015 adalah teknologi yang dibangunkan oleh JARING bagi memastikan permintaan ke atas perkhidmatan jalur lebar ke seluruh negara dapat dipenuhi serta meningkatkan kadar capaian jalur lebar di Malaysia.

``Usaha ini sebenarnya sejajar dengan visi Malaysia untuk menjadi penggiat teknologi global menjelang tahun 2020,'' katanya ketika ditemui pada pelancaran perkhidmatan jalur lebar tanpa wayar dan memperkenalkan logo baru JARING di sini.

Pelancaran perkhidmatan baru Jaring itu disempurnakan oleh Menteri Tenaga, Air dan Komunikasi, Datuk Seri Lim Keng Yaik.

Hadir sama ialah Menteri Sains, Teknologi dan Inovasi, Datuk Seri Jamaludin Jarjis.

Mohamed berkata, penyampaian jalur lebar di Malaysia masih rendah berbanding banyak negara maju, tetapi perniagaan ini berpotensi besar untuk berkembang di sini.

Menyebut trend penggunaan perkhidmatan itu, Mohamed berkata: ``Daripada sejumlah tiga juta pelanggan sistem mendail Internet di Malaysia, dianggarkan sebanyak 30 peratus atau sejuta pelanggan sudah bersedia untuk bertukar kepada jalur lebar kelajuan tinggi,'' katanya.

Pakej langganan bulanan bagi perkhidmatan jalur lebar tanpa wajar bermula dari RM75 bagi pengguna kediaman dan pakej tersebut dilengkapi talian telefon dengan bayaran bulan RM25 sementara kadar sebanyak RM290 dikenakan kepada korporat.

Bercakap kepada pemberita, beliau memberitahu, Jaring menyasarkan sebanyak 100,000 pengguna perkhidmatan my015 dalam tahun depan.

Katanya, Jaring membuat pelaburan awal sebanyak RM20 juta bagi membiayai kos prasarana perkhidmatan jalur lebar itu dan kos itu dijangka meningkat kepada RM200 juta tahun depan.

``Kos prasarana itu termasuklah pelaksanaan ujian penggunaan sistem jalur lebar tanpa wayar SOMA Networks yang berpangkalan di AS,'' kata Mohamed.

JARING Wireless Users Pricing

HOME BASIC Unlimited internet access Up to 512 Kbps priced at RM100 per month. HOME STANDARD Unlimited internet access Up to 1 Mbps priced at RM125 per month. Both options include my015 telephony.

One fixed phone with JARING’s my015 standard call plan will be included:
* One 015-481X XXXX phone number
* Free, unlimited one-network phone calls anytime
* Nationwide fixed line calls at 10 sen/min, mobile phone calls at 20 sen/min anytime
* Low international call rates (from 10 sen/min) anytime
* Enhanced phone features (call waiting, call forwarding, caller ID)
* Second phone/fax line at RM25 for standard call plan.

BUSINESS STANDARD Unlimited internet access Up to 1 Mbps & Up to 5 IP addresses priced at RM290 per month. BUSINESS EXTRA Unlimited internet access Up to 1.5 Mbps & Up to 5 IP addresses priced at RM330 per month. Both options include my015 telephony.

Two fixed phones with JARING’s my015 promotional National call plan will be included:
* Two 015-481X XXXX phone numbers
* Free, unlimited one-network phone calls anytime
* Free unlimited nationwide calls (local & outstation) to any fixed line numbers anytime
* Calls to mobile phones at 20 sen/min anytime
* Low international call rates (from 10 sen/min) anytime
* Enhanced phone features (call waiting, call forwarding, caller ID)

The Star: 11th. December 2004

Jaring launches wireless broadband service
By CHARLES F. MOREIRA

PETALING JAYA: Jaring, Malaysia's first Internet service provider (ISP), launched the first threat to TM Net Sdn Bhd's stranglehold on the nation's broadband pipes when it rolled out its wireless broadband service this morning.

The launch came less than six months after Jaring received its network facilities provider licence, but later than its October target for rollout.

TM Net first launched its streamyx broadband Internet access service in late 2001. It is currently Malaysia's No 1 ISP with almost two million dialup and 270,000 broadband subscribers, or just slightly more than 1% of the population for the latter.

The Government has said it wants 10% of the population on broadband by 2008.

"Today, there are about three million dialup subscribers in Malaysia," Jaring chief executive officer Dr Mohamed Awang Lah said at the launch.

"Based on global trends, we estimate that 30% of Malaysian subscribers are ready to convert from dialup to high-speed, broadband access," he added.

In October, industry regulator the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) reported that the number of dialup subscribers shrank in the second quarter of 2004, after recording strong growth in the preceding three months.

Total dialup subscribers dipped slightly from 3,139,000 in the first quarter of 2004 to 3,117,000 in the second quarter, a net loss of 22,000 subscribers.

Industry observers attributed the decline to the growing popularity of, and demand for, broadband services.

Jaring, which has 600,000 dialup consumer users and 70,000 corporate users, said its wireless broadband service is currently available in Seri Kembangan, the area around the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC), and in Subang Jaya.

It will cover "significant" parts of the Klang Valley, including Shah Alam, Klang and Damansara, by next January, and thereafter will be extended nationwide.

"We expect to sign up 10,000 broadband subscribers by the end of the first quarter of next year and 100,000 subscribers by the end of 2005," said Jaring chief executive officer Dr Mohamed Awang Lah.

Jaring's wireless broadband service, which promises data transfer speeds of up to 12Mbps (megabits per second), is being offered under its "my015" unified communications service.

My015 includes discounted call services and Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony riding on broadband channels rather than traditional copper wires.

For now, consumers can sign up for Jaring's wireless broadband service via Anjung Jaring outlets in KLCC, Mid-Valley Mega Mall and Technology Park Malaysia.


Slew of packages

Home users can choose between the Home Basic and Home Standard packages, while business users can choose between Business Standard and Business Extra.

The Home Basic package costs RM100 per month for unlimited Internet access at up to 512Kbps (kilobits per second) "best effort" data rate. They will need a "015" prefix phone number worth RM25 and the SOMAport 300 broadband wireless access device.

The Home Standard package costs RM125 per month and provides these same features at up to 1Mbps.

The SOMAport 300 connects to the subscriber's PC through a local area network (LAN) cable. By the middle of next year, it will include an integrated WiFi access point.

It also connects to any single-line phone which subscribers can use to call any other "015" prefix number worldwide for free, any fixed-line number nationwide for 10sen per minute, and any mobile number for 20sen per minute.

For an additional RM50 per month, subscribers can make an unlimited number of calls to fixed-line numbers nationwide at no additional charge.

The Business Standard package costs RM290 per month for unlimited Internet access at up to 1Mbps and five Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, two "015" prefix numbers, unlimited free calls to any fixed-line number nationwide, 20sen per minute to any mobile number, and international calls from 10sen per minute.

Costing RM330 per month, the Business Extra package offers the above with up to 1.5Mbps data rates.

For an additional RM150 per month, business subscribers get unlimited free calls nationwide and unlimited free calls to any fixed-line number in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, China and Australia.


One-stop shop

The launch of its wireless broadband service is in line with Jaring's new identity as a unified communications services provider, Mohamed said.

Jaring wants to act as the central hub -- or the "One Station" -- in a "One Community, One Station, One Number" concept.

Subscribers with broadband access outside Malaysia can subscribe to and pay for Jaring's my015 service online, and use either a softphone (software telephony solution) running on their PCs to make and receive calls, or a regular single-line phone with an analogue-to-broadband adaptor which can be bought off-the-shelf.

Softphone subscribers pay RM30 per month; those using the latter option pay RM45 per month.

Unfortunately for now, subscribers cannot choose to have only broadband Internet access for RM75 per month without the phone number.

Mohamed said this was because users of broadband ADSL (Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line) services had to first subscribe to a basic telephony service before they could apply for ADSL on top of it, and Jaring's pricing was consistent with this model.

However, he did not rule out changing these terms in the future.

Jaring's wireless broadband network was supplied and installed by San Francisco-based Soma Networks Inc.

Telekom’s regional boost
By Doreen Leong

Telekom Malaysia Bhd is on course to become one of the largest mobile phone operators in South Asia and Southeast Asia, with a combined market share of 17.6% from a customer base of 15.7 million subscribers, following its proposed acquisition of assets in Indonesia and India.

Its group chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar said the latest acquisitions would strengthen its position in the region.

“This is completion of a strategy we have articulated for some time. We want to focus our efforts to enhance earnings of these two positions to derive the benefits of synergies,” he said, but would not discount further acquisitions abroad if opportunities arose.

Its South and Southeast Asia markets now comprise Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Cambodia. It also has investments in Malawi, Guinea and Ghana. Telekom’s overseas business in 11 markets accounted for about 29% of its net profit in its financial year ended Dec 31, 2003.

Last week, Telekom proposed to buy an initial stake of 27.3% in Indonesia’s PT Excelcomindo Pratama for RM1.19 billion (US$314 million) and, with Singapore Technologies Telemedia, a 47.7% stake in India’s Idea Cellular for RM1.48 billion (US$390 million).

Idea Cellular and Excelcomindo each has a customer base of 4.4 million and 4.2 million subscribers commanding their respective local market share of 10% and 16%, respectively.

Speaking at a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 13, Wahid said by 2006, contributions from both the investments were expected to make up for the loss in revenue stemming from the disposal of its 6% stake in Telkom South Africa.

“Earnings from Idea and Excelcomindo would not be enough to compensate (the loss in revenue from Telkom SA) in 2005. From 2006 onwards, we hope that position will be recovered.

“In respect of Excelcomindo, we do expect some marginal dilution to our earnings in 2005, but from 2006 onwards, we believe that it will be earnings enhancing,” he said. Exelcomindo is expected to be listed by the first half of next year.

Wahid said Telekom planned to raise its stake in Excelcomindo to 51% next year, with the additional investments expected to cost another RM1 billion based on similar valuation in the initial transactions.

Telekom was considering various options, including the selling of US dollar-denominated bonds, to fund the acquisition of the additional stake in Excelcomindo, he said. “Our strategy is to match foreign assets to foreign currencies available, for which we are looking at US dollars,” he added

Telekom mulls majority stake
in ExcelcomindoBy KAMARUL YUNUS


TELEKOM Malaysia Bhd could pay in excess of US$270 million (US$1 = RM3.80) more to raise its stake to a simple majority in Indonesian cellular company PT Excelcomindo Pratama.

It recently signed a deal to buy 27.3 per cent in the cellular operator for US$314 million, and Telekom says it is looking to have a controlling stake of at least 51 per cent ahead of the latter’s proposed public offering in the first half of next year.

Chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar said if similar valuation as the one used in the recent acquisition were to be used, Telekom could pay another US$272.5 million for a majority stake.

“We have been given the options to increase to a majority controlling stake through 2005. We are considering options, including selling bonds, to finance its potential acquisition of more shares in Excelcomindo.

“We also have a sizeable cash in our accounts at the moment. It is a matter of utilising the current cash that we have,” he told a media briefing on Telekom’s regional expansion programme in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Apart from Excelcomindo, last week Telekom, in a partnership with Singapore’s ST Telemedia Pte, announced a proposed buy of 48 per cent of India’s Idea Cellular for US$390 million.

Abdul Wahid said both companies have strong growth potential due to their huge markets.

“Through these acquisitions, Telekom is well-positioned to benefit from low penetration, dramatic growth and absolute size of Indonesian and Indian mobile markets,” he said.

For example, he said, Indonesia is the largest country in South-East Asia, providing a huge potential market for mobile phones.

“The country’s gross domestic product per capita is also comparable to China and the Philippines, which have been experiencing high penetration rate for cellular communications. Thus, there is a huge potential growth in Indonesia,” he said.
Abdul Wahid said Telekom’s overseas investment earnings are expected to return to the same level it achieved prior to last year.

He said contributions from the two recent investments will make up for the loss in revenue from the sale of its investment in Telkom South Africa, from 2006 onwards.

He said the company will focus more on the enhancement of earnings from the two acquisitions, without ignoring the potential markets for expansion.

In October, Abdul Wahid had said that Telekom’s profit from its overseas investments was expected to drop to between 7 per cent and 8 per cent this year due to the sale of Telkom.

Last year, Telekom’s overseas operations accounted for 29 per cent of earnings.

Abdul Wahid said the investment in Excelcomindo and Idea Cellular complements Telekom’s existing regional mobile investments in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Cambodia.

“It fits into our international expanding strategy in extending regional network to important markets,” he said.

The synergy potential comes from the high traffic flow potential to shared assets, purchasing leverage and improved risk management.

The transaction for Excelcomindo will be concluded in January 2005, while Idea Cellular in the first quarter of next year, subject to fulfilment of various conditions.

With the acquisitions, Telekom’s mobile subscriber-base in South and South-East Asia has increased from 7.1 million to 15.7 million.

From The Star..
Indon and Indian deals put Telekom in enviable position

By B.K. SIDHU
THREE deals in a jiffy. That is certainly a major coup for Telekom Malaysia Bhd, and something interesting is really going for this telco.

The purchase last week of two assets – one in India and another in Indonesia – signals that Telekom now fully understands the long-term value of assets in cellular companies (celcos).

But had Telekom not disposed of its stakes in India’s Usha Martin and Thailand's Digital Phone Company (now a unit of Shin Corp), it would perhaps be in a much more enviable position.

Nevertheless, the recent deals – stakes in Indonesia's Excelcomindo (Excel) and India's Idea Cellular – do make Telekom the most attractive telecom stock in the country.

Regionally, it joins the ranks of regional players like Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel), which has stakes in almost every country in the region. Telekom now has 15.7 million mobile users regionally, and the numbers are growing daily.

With the latest forays, Telekom’s foreign shareholding has risen from a low of 4% last year to 22% currently.

Foreign funds are just snapping up the stock despite a 10 sen drop in its price to RM11.60 on Bursa Malaysia yesterday. Obviously they see huge growth potential in the two assets that Telekom bought into.

The three deals involve Telekom selling its entire 12% stake in Telkom South Africa recently for a net gain in excess of RM800mil; and buying a 27.3% stake in Indonesia’s Excel for US$314mil on Thursday, before sealing a deal two days later for a 47.7% stake in Idea with Singapore’s ST Telemedia for US$390mil, in which Telekom’s portion works out to US$156mil.

If Telekom exercises its option to increase its stake in Excel to 51% and forks out US$72mil in capital expenditure for Idea, the total cost of owning the stakes in the two celcos rises to US$814.6mil.

Selling Telkom South Africa was to get out of a market that was too far from home. The strategy is to buy stakes in celcos closer to home so as to be on familiar ground.

Realistically, Telekom has to spend a lot to get growth, because growth in cellular in the home market is slowing down.

The purchases were not cheap in terms of valuations, but these are long-term assets that Telekom bought into. If Telekom was bent on a cheap entry into assets in the region it would not have secured the two deals.

As a regional analyst put it: “It may appear expensive by today’s standards, but two years down the road it would be a steal, provided the assets are managed properly.’’

To him, people are not going to credit Telekom for the two international ventures until they fix their home business. Cut costs, not keep them flat. That is the message of some analysts to Telekom.

They also want its local mobile unit, Celcom (M) Bhd, to be more innovative and not just react to what rivals Maxis Communications Bhd and DiGi.Com Bhd do.

They are getting impatient over the cost issue. They wonder how Telekom will run the foreign operations if its own costs are high.

They note how SingTel maintains a tight cost structure on its home front, and forcing that discipline on its associates. SingTel always “maintains strong board control and let the local experts run the day-to-day operations of its foreign investment; that’s something Telekom can learn from.’’

Now Telekom has assets on the ground to match that of SingTel. It has interesting things going for itself. The issue here is: can it prove itself with these two investments?

Telekom's Regional Expansion Viewed Positively


KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 17 (Bernama) -- Telekom's recently announced proposed acquisitions of two telecommunication operators in Indonesia and India would provide a welcome boost to its otherwise mediocre earnings growth, said Rating Agency Malaysia Bhd (RAM).

The two operators, namely PT Excelcomindo Pertama (Excel) and Idea Cellular Ltd (Idea), are operating within fast-growing mobile services environments where penetration rates are at a modest nine percent and four percent, respectively.

RAM said that the low penetration rates, coupled with the sizeable populations of 235 million in Indonesia and 1.0 billion in India, present tremendous opportunities for Telekom vis-a-vis participating in the strong growth potential of these countries.

"Of late, the growth in Telekom's recurring earnings has been rather flat in view of the increasingly fewer opportunities in the local market," it said in a statement here Friday.

Excel is Indonesia's smallest (of the country's three operators) mobile operator with 4.2 million subscribers, reflecting a market share of 16 percent as of September 2004.

Meanwhile, Idea is India's fifth (of its sixth major operators) largest cellular operator with 4.4 million subscribers, reflecting a market share of 10 percent as of September 2004.

RAM said that these two proposed acquisitions would be beneficial towards enlarging Telekom's regional network, allowing it to derive greater synergies via sharing of assets, purchasing leverage and savings from lower transmission cost.

In the immediate term, however, earnings contribution from Excel and Idea would be modest, it said.

RAM said that post-acquisition, Telekom's consolidated revenue is anticipated to advance to RM10.8 billion from RM9.8 billion for the first nine months of financial year ending Dec 31, 2004.

It said that Telekom will incur RM1.8 billion for the 27.3 percent stake in Excel and 19.1 percent interest stake in Idea.

"Furthermore, if Telekom chooses to exercise its call option to purchase additional stakes (of at least 51 percent) in Excel, it will have to bear an additional outlay of at least RM1.0 billion," RAM said, noting that the price tag for these acquisitions is not expected to dent Telekom's balance sheet.

Pursuant to its recent disposal of Telkom SA, Telekom has more than RM9 billion in its coffers; with outstanding debts of RM12 billion, its net gearing ratio stands at a strong 0.14 times.

Its net gearing ratio is expected to increase to 0.35 times in tandem with the acquisition and exercise of the call option.

RAM opines that while the acquisitions would reduce its cash balances, they would not affect the overall integrity of Telekom's strong financial standing.

In this regard, Telekom's sturdy credit profile, as reflected by the AAA rating assigned to its debt securities, will not be affected by the financial outlay, RAM said.

Nevertheless, it said that all expansions abroad are not without hurdles and challenges.

"As both Excel and Idea are in the growth phases of their operating cycles, they are likely to incur heavy capital expenditure (capex)," it said.

RAM said that the ability to gauge market demand and to correctly time the deployment of infrastructure are crucial to avoid unnecessary strain in funding.

Excel, which generated a revenue and operating profit before depreciation, interest and tax (OPBDIT) of US$276 million (RM1 billion) and US$153 million (RM582 million), respectively, in the financial year ended Dec 31, 2003, is expected to be able to fund most of its capex, projected at US$275 million (RM1 billion) and US$300 million (RM1.1 billion) for the next two years.

On the other hand, some of the capex of Idea will be met by the consortium's initial injection of US$180 million (imputed in the purchase price) while the rest will be internally funded.

Idea generated an OPBDIT of US$127 million (RM483 million) against a revenue of US$405 million (RM1.5 billion) in the financial year ended March 31, 2004.

RAM also said that the most important challenge that would face by Telekom is the potential change in the industry landscapes of the two countries.

Over the years, both Indonesia and India have promoted liberalisation policies which have resulted in stiff competition among their mobile operators.

In particular, the keen competition within the Indian mobile market has led to tariff declines; this might exert an adverse impact on the smaller and less profitable operators.

RAM said these competitive pressures might also in turn lead to market consolidation, altering the operating landscape in the future.

While these proposed acquisitions would expose Telekom to additional country, political and foreign exchange risks, RAM opines that they would be outweighed by the associated synergies and long-term growth potential.

In any case, as with its other regional investments, Telekom will be represented by the key management personnel in both companies to ensure that their strategic directions are in line with those of Telekom, it added.

-- BERNAMA

Celcom enhancing services to grow margins
By Tamimi Omar


Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd would focus on enhancing its current services instead of lowering short messaging service (SMS) and call charges to grow its margins, says its group chief executive Datuk Ramli Abbas.

“The growing of margins for us is the growing of services,” he told a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 20.

Ramli said the “price war” could only go on so far and it was time for Celcom to look into attracting customers with service enhancements instead of pricing.

“For example, we are the first mobile company to offer our customers automatic activation of their GPRS capabilities with one simple SMS,” he said.

Ramli said Celcom's promotional campaigns throughout the year had yielded encouraging results.

“Celcom recorded a 49% growth in net customer addition during the third quarter (ended Sept 30, 2004). It’s highest since the merger (between 019 and 013),” he said.

As end-September, Celcom had a subscriber base of 4.97 million. Its pre-tax profit soared by 129.3% to RM492 million from RM214 million for the same period last year. Year-on-year revenue rose by 24% to RM3.2 billion, Ramli said.

Earnings per share increased 78% to 14.6 sen from 8.2 sen previously, he added.

He said Celcom was now focussing on streamlining the management of its existing customers to better anticipate their needs.

“We give our customers the chance to choose the package they prefer. If they do not convert to the new Xpax plan within one month, we would transfer them to a plan which is similar to what they have,” he said.

On the rollout of 3G technology, Ramli said: ”Telekom would make the proper announcement. It would be soon.”

He also said talks between Celcom and other mobile operators on the sharing of transmission infrastructure were going well.

“If other operators use our sites to expand their reach, we would use their sites later on or charge them the use of our sites, but currently there was no problem (in the negotiations),” he said.

Celcom has 95% coverage nationwide.

Celcom's 3G Services To Be Available Soon, Says Ramli


KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 (Bernama) -- A 019-line provider, Celcom Malaysia Bhd, will get the third generation (3G) services ready soon, said its chief executive officer, Datuk Ramli Abas.

"That is our future business," Ramli said at Celcom's True Connection media briefing Monday but declined to reveal the specific timeframe.

The licence is currently held by Telekom Malaysia Bhd, Celcom's parent company and would be used by the latter.

Earlier report said that Telekom would launch its 3G application by the middle of next year.

Telekom and Maxis Communications Bhd each won the 3G spectrum licence to offer high-speed mobile services in the country in 2002.

Celcom is in the midst of consolidating its postpaid packages into one brand name, which is expected to be ready by early next year.

"Our intention is not to confuse the users, (so that) they will always know what we want to offer them the best," he said.

Celcom has just consolidated its five packages under 019 and 013 prepaid line into one brand name, called X-Pax.

Looking forward, Ramli said Celcom would strive hard to regain the number one spot in customer base.

Maxis has about six million customers.

As of September 2004, its customer base stood at 4.97 million.

For the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2004, its net customer addition growth stood at 49 percent or 302,000, the highest ever recorded, since the 019 and 013 line merger.

The integration was done in phases with the first on April 30, 2004 in Perak and the last on Oct 14 in Miri and Bintulu, Sarawak.

"With the successful integration, we now have the economies of scale to compete in the market," Ramli said.

Celcom now has a single network with a network identity of MY CELCOM. The 013 customers would also have MY CELCOM displayed on their phones and no longer TMTOUCH.

Celcom has greater coverage than its competitors, covering 95 percent of Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission's (MCMC) defined coverage area.

During the third quarter, Celcom's pre-tax profit rose by 129.3 percent to RM492 million on the back of RM3.2 billion revenue which increased by 24 percent.

-- BERNAMA

DiGi to spend RM1b to boost coverage
Francis Fernandez

DiGi.COM Bhd, Malaysia's smallest mobile firm by subscriber base, plans to spend as much as RM1 billion next year to boost capacity, people involved in the plans said yesterday.
Mail Money was told that the RM1 billion capex plan may cost more if the telecommunication company partly controlled by Berjaya Group Bhd chairman Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun, manages to secure a Third Generation licence from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

The RM1 billion capex plan is solely based on the assumption that the telco will boost up coverage of its Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) network.

It is firmly believed that DiGi, 61 per cent controlled by by the Norwegian Government's Telenor ASA intends to boost its coverage in core areas such as Negri Sembilan, Penanag, Malacca and Johor. It also intends to expand coverage on outskirt areas such as Kuantan and Terengganu.

Next year will see Digi Malaysia's leading prepaid phone company, making an aggressive bid to win market share outside of its Klang Valley base.

As part of its move to be come a leaner machine, DiGi is also undertaking an internal restructuring exercise. The aim of the exercise is to create greater efficiency within the company.

Greater efficiency should help DiGi improve on profitability levels. For the nine month ended September 2004, DiGi posted a net profit of 222.21 million from RM86.16 million posted a year ago.

Hotlink Launches Country's First Travellers Pack


KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 21 (Bernama) -- Hotlink, the No 1 prepaid mobile service in Malaysia, announces Tuesday the country's first prepaid mobile phone service for travellers, which offers international visitors the convenience of using a local mobile phone number.

In the statement Tuesday, Hotlink said that its target customers included tourists, temporary foreign workers as well as business travellers and consultants who frequently stopped by in Malaysia.

With the Hotlink Travellers Pack, tourists can call their friends and family abroad at competitive rates starting from 25 sen a minute onwards.

In addition, calls to countries like Australia, Singapore, Thailand and New Zealand are charged 30 sen per minute while calls to China, United Kingdom and Japan cost 35 sen a minute.

"We're filling a niche that is increasingly growing in size and significance. According to the Ministry of Tourism, more than 10 million people visited Malaysia last year whereas up till this Oct, the ministry recorded over 13 million visitors," said Maxis Head of prepaid marketing, Chee Loo Fun.

The pack would be made available at selected retail stores located in KL Sentral and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) starting Dec 22.

Each pack costs RM50 and comes preloaded with RM35 airtime so travellers can start to make calls immediately after purchasing the pack.

800 schools to have Wi-Fi access by next year



PETALING JAYA: A total of 800 schools will have Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) access by the end of next year under the Education Ministry’s technology plan.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said Wi-Fi infrastructure would be deployed at 100 primary and secondary schools nationwide under the first phase of the move to promote mobile computing.

The move, he added, was a crucial step towards a more technologically-integrated education.

“Wireless connectivity with relevant mobile devices will transform our traditional boundary-limited schools into roaming, all-access research libraries, allowing students and teachers a more flexible learning and teaching environment,” he said yesterday at the annual Bett Exhibition in London.

A mobile computing environment, he added, would allow students to be more competitive in today’s IT-based economy.

His statement was made available to the media here.

Several companies are involved in the deployment.

Hishammuddin said the deployment was an example of the private-public sector partnership.

Maxis to buy 51pc of Indon cellular firm
By ROZIANA HAMSAWI


MAXIS Communications Bhd is making its first foray overseas by buying a 51 per cent stake in Indonesia’s cellular operator, PT Natrindo Telepon Seluler (NTS) for US$100 million (US$1 = RM3.80).

Maxis, described by some analysts as “conservative” when it comes to overseas expansion, said NTS provides it with an “opportunistic regional entry” into the rapidly developing Indonesian cellular market.

“The proposed investment allows Maxis to expand its telecommunications services in the fast growing market of Indonesia, where cellular penetration is relatively low at an estimated 13.4 per cent.

“It is consistent with Maxis’ investment criteria and is expected to drive growth and profitability outside of Malaysia,” RHB Sakura Merchant Bankers Bhd said a filing to Bursa Malaysia Bhd on behalf of Maxis.

Maxis chief executive officer Datuk Jamaludin Ibrahim, in a separate statement, said the proposed acquisition is in line with Maxis’ long-term growth strategy.

“Indonesia represents a market with significant growth potential. We anticipate between 40 and 50 million new subscribers to enter the market over the next five years. This is almost twice Malaysia's population.

“Our entry gives us the opportunity to build an advantaged business to tap this large and fast-growing market,” he added.

According to analyst estimates, roughly 13.4 per cent of 222 million Indonesians use a mobile phone today. Last year, the number of mobile phone subscribers in Indonesia grew by an estimated 58 per cent.

Maxis expects to make major inroads into the Indonesian market in two ways.

“Firstly, NTS has 2G spectrum and all the necessary rights to 3G spectrum,” said Jamaludin. “Secondly, Maxis will also benefit by gaining access to the attractive Lippo Group customer base.”

RHB Sakura said Maxis and its wholly-owned subsidiary, East Asia Communications NV (EAC), have entered into a conditional share subscription agreement with PT Aneka Tirta Nusa (Tirta) and NTS for EAC to subscribe for the new shares, representing 51 per cent of the enlarged share capital of NTS.

Following the agreement, EAC will extend a shareholders’ loan of US$150 million to NTS for five years at an interest rate of 9 per cent for a five-year period.

EAC has also entered into a conditional shareholders' agreement with Tirta and NTS.

The existing shareholders of NTS are Tirta and PT Cipta Tunggal Mulia. Following the share subscription, the only shareholders of NTS will be EAC and Tirta.

Tirta is the special purpose vehicle set up to hold the investment in NTS. At present, Tirta’s consortium of investors includes a member of the Lippo group of companies which is engaged in four lines of businesses: broadband services, cellular services, information technology solutions and retailing.

NTS, incorporated in October 2000, is a GSM cellular operator and has about 25,000 active subscribers.

NTS, which currently operates under the name of “Lippo Telecom”, originally received a regional licence (East Java), but has since acquired six other regional licences.

In December 2002, it obtained government approval to convert the regional licences into a national licence. In September 2004, it was allocated an additional spectrum for 3G-WCDMA services.

Telekom leaving Guinean market


TELEKOM Malaysia Bhd said yesterday it was leaving the Guinean market as it is re-organising its geographical business presence, not because of a dispute with the Government in Conakry.

An AFP report from Conakry, quoting sources in Societe des Telecommunications de Guinee (Sotelgui), mentioned failures by Telekom to perform its duties as reasons for the Malaysian company leaving.

Telekom said in a statement yesterday that it had decided to focus on regions closer to Malaysia. Last year, it sold its investment in Telkom South Africa (Telkom SA) and decided to divest all its interests in Africa, including Guinea.

In early December last year, Telekom told Guinean officials it wanted to exit the market.

“Both parties have commenced discussions based on the common understanding that Telekom’s decision to exit is a strategic one,” Telekom said.

Telekom started investing in the West African state in December 1995 with an initial investment of US$45 million (US$1 = RM3.80) for a 60 per cent stake in Sotelgui.

Telekom has been involved in the development of Sotelgui’s fixed-line and cellular infrastructure for over 10 years, working with the people of Guinea to build a network that delivers reliable and affordable telecoms services.

To date, Sotelgui has over 150,600 active subscribers and continues to enjoy robust growth

On Bursa Malaysia Bhd yesterday, Telekom shares fell 40 sen to close at RM11.10, with analysts blaming the drop on Deutsche Bank AG having cut ratings on the stock to “sell” from “hold”.

Deutsche Bank’s analysts, in a report yesterday, also cut Telekom’s 12-month share price target by 9.6 per cent to RM10.40.

The analysts cited higher capital spending and slower sales growth at Telekom’s mobile unit as reasons for the downgrade.

The Deutsche Bank report said the analysts were told by Telekom’s chief executive recently that it had increased its capital expenditure forecast for 2005 to RM3.2 billion from RM2 billion.

Friday January 21, 2005

Maxis makes first foray abroad

BY B.K. SIDHU

MAXIS Communications Bhd is finally making its maiden foreign acquisition – a proposed 51% stake in Indonesia’s mobile phone operator PT Natrindo Telepon Seluler (NTS), for US$100mil (RM380mil).

Maxis is also committed to extending a shareholder's loan of US$150mil to NTS at an interest rate of 9% for a five-year period.

NTS, a unit of Indonesia’s Lippo group, offers cellular services under the Lippo Telecom brand name, operating a GSM network that has 25,000 active subscribers. It originally received a regional licence for East Java but has since acquired six other regional licences. It also has been allocated a 3G spectrum.

The proposed purchase by Maxis comes just weeks after Telekom Malaysia Bhd announced the acquisition of major stakes in two cellular companies – Indonesia’s PT Excelcomindo and India’s Idea Cellular.

Maxis chief executive officer Datuk Jamaludin Ibrahim said the “proposed acquisition of a stake in NTS was in line with Maxis’ long-term growth strategy, which includes expanding its presence in this region.’’

Some analysts are pleased to note that Maxis has finally struck a foreign deal, as Malaysia’s cellular market is predicted to hit saturation point in a few years and there was a need for players like Maxis and Telekom to go beyond Malaysia's shores for ventures that can assure long-term sustainability of earnings.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2005/1/21/business/p1-jamaluddini.jpg

Datuk Jamaluddin Ibrahim

“Everyone has been waiting for Maxis to venture abroad and it is a good thing that it is buying a controlling stake. This goes to show that it is committed to its diversification plan. We have to study the details of the acquisition, but we reckon it may result in a re-rating of the stock,’’ an analyst said.

“Indonesia represents a market with significant growth potential. We expect 40 million to 50 million new subscribers to enter the market over the next five years. This is almost twice Malaysia’s population. Our entry gives us the opportunity to tap this large and growing market,’’ Jamaludin said.

In a statement, Maxis cited analysts as saying that roughly 13.4% of the 222 million Indonesians use mobile phones today. Last year subscriber growth was recorded at 58%.

Maxis plans to penetrate the Indonesian market using a two-pronged strategy. It will, first, leverage on its experience and capabilities to drive up subscribers and, second, tap into the large Lippo group customer base to expand. Jamaludin said that funding for the acquisition would be via a combination of internal resources and US dollar borrowings. Maxis recently secured RM1bil from the private debt securities market.

Maxis had earlier indicated it would pay higher dividends if it did not make any major investments abroad. It has about RM1bil in its coffers.

“This investment is not expected to change our progressive dividend policy, which aims to balance capital appreciation and dividend yield,’’ Jamaludin told StarBiz.

Maxis said the company and its wholly-owned unit, East Asia Communications, had proposed to buy the stake in NTS. The sale involved a conditional share subscription agreement with PT Aneka Tirta Nusa and NTS. PT Aneka is a unit of the diversified Lippo Group.

The acquisition is expected to be completed by the first quarter this year.

NTS, as at end Dec 31, 2003, reported an after-tax loss of RM12mil. Its net tangible asset stood at RM25.1mil.

Maxis: Natrindo to invest US$1.3b
BY JAGDEV SINGH SIDHU

MAXIS Communications Bhd's 51% owned Indonesian cellular company will be investing between US$1.3bil and US$1.8bil over the next five years, with US$700mil to US$800mil earmarked for capital expenditure over the next two years.

The firm told analysts at a briefing yesterday that profit contribution from PT Natrindo Telepon Seluler, the Indonesian subsidiary that it plans to buy, would only start flowing to its bottom line after five years.

“It's basically a greenfield project for Maxis, and it will be years before the company makes any profit,'' said an analyst who was at the briefing.

Much of the investment will be for the rollout of a GSM network, and part of it for a third-generation (3G) cellular service that PT Natrindo plans to roll out after 2007.

It was reported that PT Natrindo Selullar/Lippo Telecom planned to invest US$1bil to develop 3G service in the next five years. AFX-Asia quoted company chairman Billy Sindoro as saying the estimate was subsequent to the entry of Maxis as controlling shareholder.

Analysts at the briefing say Maxis will see some pressure on earnings in the immediate term arising from the Indonesian venture, with much of that coming in the way of depreciation.

The financial community was also told that PT Natrindo would need between three million and four million subscribers just to break even on the EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) level.

With just 25,000 subscribers, some analysts say, any calculations on a subscriber cost basis was meaningless. “Maxis basically paid the money for the licences, infrastructure and potential,'' said one analyst. Maxis paid US$100mil to buy the 51% stake in PT Natrindo.


The analyst said the top management at Maxis reassured investors that the policy on dividends would not be compromised with the purchase of, and commitments to, PT Natrindo.

With such a small subscriber base, Maxis will be starting from scratch in Indonesia, and it will be up against some of the big domestic players that have some of the large telecommunications operators as shareholders.

The market leader in Indonesia is PT Telkomsel, with a market share of just over 50%, followed by PT Satelindo with about a 26%, and Telekom Malaysia's 27.3% unit, PT Excelcomindo Pratama, with 15%.

Apart from Telekom, with which it is already engaged in a fierce battle in the cellular business in Malaysia, Maxis has to contend with such other players as Singapore Telecommunications Ltd and ST Telemedia in Indonesia.

Analysts say that at the current penetration rate in Indonesia, 13.4%, there is still a lot of room for Maxis to grow; but lucrative areas such as Jakarta will have a penetration rate that is much higher than the national average.

“The others have a big headstart, but Maxis became Malaysia's largest cellular company after starting last in the race in Malaysia,'' noted an analyst.

While the Maxis management was optimistic of the long-term potential of the acquisition, many in the financial community expressed concern over its instant effect.

“Questions raised during the meeting suggest that a lot of the people there were concerned,'' the analyst said.

The immediate reaction from investors to the news of the purchase of PT Natrindo was one of disapproval; the stock fell 45 sen or 4.5% to RM9.65 yesterday.

Maxis to continue overseas forays

BY B.K. SIDHU




MAXIS Communications Bhd will not stop making foreign forays although it will have a lot on its plate this year with its proposed acquisition of a 51% stake in Indonesia’s PT Natrindo Telepon Selular (NTS) plus a very competitive domestic market that it has to contend with.

The company intends to continue looking for opportunities to expand further into Asia, in particular South Asia. And it wants only to penetrate markets that offer good growth potential given that new cellular subscriber growth in the home market will slow down in the future.

“It would be silly to rule out other opportunities (after NTS) although our focus (for now) is on this (deal),” Maxis chief executive officer Datuk Jamaludin Ibrahim said at a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

“We have always said that our future long-term growth will be through involvement in under-penetrated markets regionally,” added chairman Datuk Megat Zaharuddin.

Notwithstanding market perception that it is paying too much for the smallish NTS, Maxis believes that the “windows of opportunity “ in growth markets are getting smaller and “it’s about grabbing what are available and growing them.






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Datuk Jamaludin Ibrahim







“We are not making a big investment for NTS,” Jamaludin said, adding that the Indonesian company’s assets were its 2G and 3G spectrums, which had become a commodity globally.

“We believe we are buying into a company that is in a market that provides long-term growth potential and profitability,” Jamaludin reiterated, adding that after the purchase, NTS would be “a clean company with an un-geared balance sheet.”

Maxis is committed to forking out US$400mil to US$500mil (RM1.5bil to RM1.9bil) for NTS – which is part of Indonesia’s Lippo Group – over a five-year period. This includes the US$100mil acquisition cost, a US$150mil loan facility that Maxis would extend to NTS over a five-year period, and NTS’ capital expenditure (capex) requirement.

NTS needs about US$1.3bil to US$1.8bil over five years in capex and operational expenses (opex) to roll out its services. Of that amount, US$700mil to US$800mil would be invested in the first two years. And half the capex and opex would be sourced from debt markets.

Asked if the Lippo Group would be able to fork out a portion of the opex and capex, Maxis officials said: “We hope they would deliver their part.”

Maxis will pay its portion with internal funds and US dollar debt instruments, though the quantum is not known. As at end-September last year, Maxis had a ready facility of US$200mil and RM700mil in cash at its disposal.

“There will be no equity call,” Jamaludin assured Maxis shareholders. He added that the NTS stake acquisition would have no impact on Maxis’ dividend policy and little or no impact on the dividend payout ratio, while the company’s capacity to generate cash remained strong.

On the question of timelines, Jamaludin said Maxis expected to complete the deal by April, by which time NTS should be ready to re-launch the services now available in Surabaya. The plan ahead is to expand the cellular service using 2G infrastructure into Jakarta, Bandung, Bali and cities in Sumatra. Maxis wants to be the first to offer 3G services to Indonesia by the end of 2006.

The NTS deal will see Maxis ending up with four out of eight board seats in the company, including the position of chairman, which comes with certain voting rights. It will also hold four key positions of either CEO or chief operating officer, chief financial officer, chief technical officer, and head of sales and marketing.

Jamaludin said Maxis aimed to list NTS on the Jakarta bourse in the future but not this year.

Maxis confident of success in Indonesian market




Comment by B.K. Sidhu




SOME say Maxis Communications Bhd was pressured to find a new market abroad after Telekom Malaysia Bhd bought into Indonesia’s third largest player, PT Excelcomindo, last month.

Others say Maxis landed on the PT Natrindo Telepon Selular (NTS) three weeks ago and rushed to seal the deal to play catch up with Telekom, which in December, sealed two deals in a zippy (Excelcomindo and India’s Idea Cellular). Maxis’ rationale for NTS was that it fitted their investment strategy, thus the reason for “getting engaged to NTS” and the courtship had begun quite a while ago, and not just three weeks ago.

The deal was done after careful evaluation. NTS may be a small player but it is in a big market that is poised to grow from a 29 million-subscriber base, as at end 2004, to 77 million by 2009.

Even before leaping, Maxis is confident that NTS can unseat Excelcomindo of its third spot in five years. NTS is eyeing a 14% market share by 2010.

That is the time when Maxis’ Indonesian venture should prove to be very profitable although Maxis has been criticised now for paying a lot to buy NTS.

Maxis also aspires to become a leader to offer 3G services and be a strong player in 2G services. One may wonder if Maxis can really compete head on with rivals such as Telekom and Singapore players such as SingTel that are operating in the Indonesian market.

Those are Maxis’ aspirations and its CEO Datuk Jamaludin Ibrahim believes the company has the expertise to leverage on and a “do-able” business model.

It wants to replicate its successful Malaysian model in Indonesia. If it can build itself “from nothing into Malaysia’s leading brand” Maxis believes it can do a lot to make a difference in the Indonesian market.



Among others, Maxis wants to leverage on Lippo Group’s outlets to sell its products at very competitive pricing. There are already eight million clients of Lippo to ride on. Maxis wants to outsource whatever it can, to be low-cost and nimble. It believes it has the flexibility to build an IT or IP platform and offering broadband is an option.

Jamaludin is talking about being “very aggressive” and to him, “time is of essence.” He just wants to get cracking in this promising market.

The real challenge for Maxis would be its ability to keep its market share in the domestic market where competition is coming on strongly from Celcom (M) Bhd and DiGi.Com and at the same time, grow the Indonesian business.

Indonesia is a new market to Maxis and although it may have all the grand plans, the risks there are different from those in Malaysia and that market has global competitors that are also going for the same market share.

Maxis has to consider that it is not just about making a difference in Indonesia but also proving to its institutional and minority shareholders that investing in NTS is indeed a good move. And if Indonesia is not the last stop, Jamaludin, who began his presentation to journalists yesterday with a “selamat sore” (good evening in Bahasa Indonesia) greeting, he should be thinking of learning, among other languages, Hindi, if South Asia is Maxis’ next target.

DiGi launches voice SMS
By Reese Loh


DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd launched on Jan 31 the country’s and Southeast Asia’s first voice short message service (SMS), BubbleTalk, for both its prepaid and postpaid users nationwide.

BubbleTalk allows mobile phone users to talk, listen and reply to messages as an alternative to the conventional type and read messages.

Its marketing general manager Peter Tay said the launch of BubbleTalk was in line with DiGi’s strategy to focus on providing smart and enhanced solutions on competitive prices.

“We are very confident with BubbleTalk and we look forward to a good uptake of our services,” he said at the press launch of BubbleTalk and other services in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 31.

Tay said as the local content provider who developed the BubbleTalk was also in talks with other telcos in the country, he expected the service to be made available to other network users in a few months time.

“That is when BubbleTalk will have inter-operability with other network users,” he said.

Tay said BubbleTalk would compliment DiGi’s two other lifestyle applications that were launched on Jan 31, Lifelogger and Friends Finder.

Lifelogger is an exclusive website that allows users to upload multimedia content from their mobile phones on to the website via DiGi’s multimedia messaging service. Successful postings are charged 70 sen each.

Friends Finder allows users to check current locations of friends and family members who are also DiGi users through SMS. Charges are tagged at 15 sen for each SMS sent and an additional 30 sen for each successful search.

Stake Bid For Pakistan Telco Is Preliminary Step, Says Telekom


KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31 (Bernama) -- Telekom Malaysia Bhd said that it has submitted an Expression of Interest (EOI) for a 26 percent stake in Pakistan Telecommunication Co Ltd through its wholly-owned subsidiary TM International Sdn Bhd.

The move was a preliminary step, pre-qualifying potential investors for the submission of a full bid, Telekom said.

It said this in a statement in clarifying a newspaper report entitled "Telekom among bidders for majority stake in Pakistan telco."

Pakistan Telecommunication is Pakistan's second largest listed company where the government owns nearly 88 percent.

It is also a leading provider of telephone services to the private sector in Pakistan with over 4.4 million telephone lines in services.

-- BERNAMA

DiGi Is Confident Of Big Uptake For Revolutionary Short Voice Message


KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31 (Bernama) -- DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd is confident of a big uptake for its "BubbleTalk" Short Voice Messaging Service (SVMS) based on the way the text SMS has picked up in Malaysia.

DiGi's general manager for Marketing and Strategy, Peter Tay, said any of its customers with handphones can now use the service which was launched here Monday.

"With BubbleTalk, Digi has taken messaging to a new high. It will also be simple and fun alternative for those who are not attuned to typing on a keypad with the current text messaging," he said at the launch.

It is a "talk and send" messaging alternative to the current "type and send" service provided by SMS, he said.

The speed for BubbleTalk, especially on sending side could be parallel to an SMS and almost instantaneous, Tay said, adding that with DiGi's HighSpeed Mobile, the service is faster and offers better quality.

The Malaysia's only foreign mobile phone operator is also offering two other applications to compliment BubbleTalk, which is the LifeLogger and Friends Finder.

LifeLogger is an exclusive website that allows DiGi subscribers to upload their multimedia content from their mobilephone to the website page via Multimedia Message Services (MMS).

Friends Finder on the other hand is a service to locate friends and family members who are DiGi users.

DiGi, which is doubling its capital expenditure to RM1 billion this year, will be launching more services this year.

When asked whether the trend of moving away from price competition to services enhancement will continue in years to come, Tay said: "Price competition is always there and unless it is done in a healthy way, it's not always the best strategy to adopt. We're are also looking at other value propositions."

For the nine months ended Sept 30, 2004, DiGi's net profit surged to RM222.21 million from RM86.16 million a year.

-- BERNAMA

WiFi Spots in Klang Valley!


Maxis WLAN (Utopia) : 138 hot spots

source: http://www.maxis.com.my/corporate/data/wlan/wlan_utopia.asp



TMNet Hotspots : 264 hot spots

source: http://www.tm.net.my/html/htm/product_hotspot/hotspot_service_area.htm


AirZed : 140 hot spots

source: http://www.airzed.com.my/locations.asp


Time Zone : 112 hot spots

source: http://timebroadband.time.net.my/zone/availability.cfm#kualalumpur



So the total would be 654 hot spots around the city.

Furthermore the numbers I've provided are from the four big commercial players in WiFi and I actually excudes the numerous small companies which some offer free wifi coverage within their vicinity like some restaurant chains for instance. :)

Telekom may sell stake in Ghana
BY B.K. SIDHU
Saturday February 5, 2005

TELEKOM Malaysia Bhd may see a resolution to its dispute over Ghana Telecommunications Company (GT) as negotiations are ongoing for the Ghana government to take over its 30% stake in GT.

And, even as the negotiations in Ghana unfold, Telekom is making preparations to submit a bid to buy a controlling 26% stake in Pakistan Telecommunications Company Ltd (PTCL) by May.

A report originating from Ghana quoted an official from the Ministry of Communications as saying: “The Ghana government was waiting to buy back the 30% share that Telekom – the minority shareholder – currently controls in GT and publicly float it on the Ghana Stock Exchange to the Ghanaian public.''

The report added that the Ghana government would raise more money through the sale of the shares to finance part of the expansion of GT.

The report said Telekom paid US$30mil for the stake in the late 1990s. But later Telekom claimed that the Ghanaian parties reneged on a deal signed in 2002, which resulted in Telekom being locked in a suit. This matter was later arbitrated at The Hague.

“On the international arbitration between the government and Telekom, the source said the matter has been amicably resolved,’’ the report said.

Responding to a query, Telekom international division TM International Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Christian de Faria told StarBiz: “Any discussion with the Ghana government is confidential. We are not at liberty to discuss this with any party at this point. We will issue a statement at an appropriate time.’’


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From left: Telekom Malaysia Bhd TM Retail COO Datuk Adnan Rofiee, Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar, Cisco System vice-president service provider operations Asia Pacific David Caspari and Cisco Systems Malaysia MD Johnson Khoo after the siging ceremony between the two companies.

Telekom – South East Asia’s second largest phone company – is among the dozen companies keen on a slice of Pakistan's telecommunications market, which Telekom group CEO Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar describes as having “a lot of growth (potential).’’

The stake could well go for US$1.4bil. The other bidders include South-East Asia’s biggest phone company, Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel), United Arab Emirates’ Telecommunications Ltd, Kuwait’s Mobile Telecommunications, and Saudi Oger Ltd.

“We have submitted our expression of interest and we are waiting for the relevant information packs to be sent to us,’’ Wahid told reporters after the signing ceremony of a collaboration between Telekom and Cisco Systems on managed services.

He would not say if Telekom would partner any party for the bid, merely saying “we are keeping our options open.’’

The Pakistan government holds nearly 88% of PTCL, which operates more than 4.4 million fixed telephone lines and owns cellular operator Pakistan Telecommunication Mobile Ltd as well as Internet service provider Paknet. The government said in November it would sell a 26% management stake to pare overseas debts.

Telekom has been on an aggressive drive to build a strong presence in growth markets in Asia for future earnings sustainability. At the same time it is exiting from markets that it “deems far from home.’’

The company recently secured two deals for nearly RM2.8bil. It bought stakes in Indonesian’s third largest cellular player, Excelcomindo, and in India’s fifth largest mobile player, Idea Cellular.

Last year, Telekom sold its entire stake in Telkom South Africa, and last month withdrew from Telekom Networks Malawi. Talks are ongoing for the disposal of its 60% stake in Sotelgui of Guinea.

Yesterday’s collaboration with Cisco Systems will help Telekom align technology, marketing and sales. This will allow Telekom to create, commercialise and deliver a comprehensive suite of managed services that make use of integrated data, voice and video IP network technologies from Cisco.

Telekom TM Retail chief operating officer Datuk Adnan Rofiee said the collaboration provided for an integrated approach to offer solutions to customers. He is targeting corporations and multinationals as potential clients and expects about RM100mil in revenue over an 18-month period.

This non-exclusive arrangement, in which two parties join forces to penetrate a large market, is a first for Telekom.

DiGi extends coverage to Limbang, Lawas
Friday February 11, 2005




DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd has extended its mobile coverage to Limbang and Lawas, two northern Sarawak fishing towns near the state border with Brunei and Sabah.

In a statement, DiGi said the coverage was important given the high number of people in the area who are passing through the towns from Sabah and Brunei as well as to other areas in Sarawak.

“Our mobile service would make it easier for people around Lawas and Limbang to keep in touch with their friends and family. At the same time we hope that the improved coverage and reach of the mobile communication network helps facilitating business development in Sarawak,” DiGi East Malaysia regional manager Benny Wee said.

It said the coverage was in response to the demand and requirement for mobile service in the state and the company's moves to ensure that it maintains its smooth connectivity in the state.

Telekom M'sia Opens RM14 Mln Submarine Cable Station


KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 (Bernama) -- Telekom Malaysia Thursday officially opened its fourth and latest submarine cable station in Peninsular Malaysia at Pengkalan Balak, Melaka.

The RM14 million cable station is designed to provide high capacity network for voice and data traffic between Malaysia and Indonesia.

Built on a 1.448-hectare (3.62-acre) site, it has been completed within six months and was ready for service last month , Telekom Malaysia said in a statement here today.

The cable station houses two submarine cable systems, namely the Dumai-Melaka Cable System (DMCS) and SEA-ME-WE 4 or South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 4.

Telekom Malaysia said Melaka was chosen as the site for the latest cable station due to its geographical location. It is the closest point to Dumai in Sumatra, Indonesia, for the DMCS project and closer to Kuala Lumpur as compared to existing cable stations located at Cherating, Mersing and Kuala Muda.

The company added that construction of the cable system marked a major business co-operation between Telekom Malaysia and PT Telkom of Indonesia.

Both parties signed the construction and maintenance agreement on May 14 last year and the DMCS was constructed by NEC Corporation of Japan.

The 150-kilometre system spans across the Straits of Malacca, connecting Dumai and Melaka.

Telekom Malaysia's group chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar said the DMCS was designed to carry a maximum capacity of 320 gigabits per second, equivalent to 3.871 million simultaneous phone calls between Malaysia and Indonesia.

"With this high capacity channel, the system is capable of establishing more efficient global network communications," he said.

He added that the existence of better communication facilities able to cater to the increasing demand for high bandwidth could help to attract potential investors, especially multinational companies, to invest in Malaysia.

As for the SEA-ME-WE 4, it is a submarine cable system that will connect 14 countries. The system is still under construction with the collaboration from 15 international telcos and is expected to be operational early next year.

TMIL To Acquire 78 Pct Stake In Pakistan's Multinet For US$5.46 Mln


KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 (Bernama) -- TM International (L) Ltd (TMIL), the wholly owned subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia Bhd has entered into a Joint Venture Deed (the agreement) with Adnan Asdar and Nasser Khan Ghazi Wednesday relating to the investment by TMIL in Multinet Pakistan (Private) Ltd.

Multinet is a private limited liability in Pakistan, which provides retail and wholesale broadband services including installing, operating and managing fibre optic cable, non-voice communication network services, electronic information services and cable television services in Pakistan.

The joint venture is through acquisition of 78 percent equity by TMIL in Multinet, said Telekom Malaysia in an announcement to Bursa Malaysia.

Adnan Asdar and Nasser Khan Ghazi are the existing shareholders and promoters of Multinet. Presently they hold all the equity of Multinet.

The authorised capital of Multinet in Pakistani Rupees ("R") 100,000,000 divided into 1,000,000 ordinary shares of R100 each of which 1,000,000 shares has been issued and fully paid-up, said Telekom Malaysia.

Under the terms of the joint venture, TMIL will acquire 780,000 shares, representing 78 percent of the issued and paid-up share capital from both Adnan Asdar and Nasser Khan Ghazi for a total cash consideration of US$5.46 million.

Upon completion of the sale and purchase of these shares or as soon as practicable thereafter (completion), the parties shall cause the issued and paid-up capital of Multinet to be increased by an additional 9,000,000 ordinary shares of R100 each (recapitalisation).

TMIL will subscribe for 7,020,000 ordinary shares in Multinet by way of a cash injection of US$11.7 million. Both Adnan Asdar and Nasser Khan Ghazi will subscribe for 990,000 ordinary shares each in Multinet by way of a cash injection of US$1.65 million each.

Telekom Malaysia said upon completion of the recapitalisation exercise, the shareholdings of the respective parties would be TMIL 7.8 million shares or 78 percent, Adnan Asdar 1.1 million shares or 11 percent and Nasser Khan Ghazi also 1.1 million shares or 11 percent respectively.

The joint venture will take effect upon completion, which is subject to to approvals being obtained from the various regulatory authorities in Pakistan and Malaysia and lenders of Multinet.

TMIL's participation in the joint venture with Adnan Asdar and Nasser Khan Ghazi via Multinet will allow Telekom Malaysia to participate in the development of a fibre optic backbone in Pakistan and ultimately enable it to leverage on its presence to venture into other lucrative segments of the telecommunication industry in Pakistan.

The Pakistan telecommunication industry is expected to undergo rapid developments in the near future. Compared with the Asian and world average, Pakistan's tele-density remains low at approximately three percent against an Asian average of 10 percent and world average of 17 percent, indicating that there is room for growth in the industry.

Telekom Malaysia said it views Multinet as the ideal partner as it is one of Pakistan's leading providers of broadband services such as DSL broadband, gigabit metro area broadband, wireless broadband and allied services such as cable television, corporate networking services and other value added services.

It currently has approximately 1,000 corporate DSL subscribers, which generated a revenue of approximately US$2 million in the last financial year.

These subscribers include some of Pakistan's largest corporate entities as well as multinational corporations based in Pakistan.

The joint venture is not expected to have any material impact on the consolidated earnings of Telekom Malaysia for the current financial year ending Dec 31, 2005.

However, the said transaction is expected to improve Telekom Malaysia's Group earnings in the long term.

-- BERNAMA

REDtone to accelerate overseas expansion

Discount call provider REDtone International Bhd (RIB) expects its first major investment abroad in Pakistan to speed up its overseas expansion.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi officially opened RIB’s Pakistan operations, REDtone Telecommunications Pakistan (Private) Ltd (REDtone Pakistan), on Wednesday during a three-day official visit to the country.

REDtone Pakistan has a 20-year long distance and international licence from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.

The licence allows it to offer voice telephone services as well as data and IT services, REDtone said in a statement issued in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 17.

It also recently received a card payphone licence to provide telephone and fax services via card payphones in Pakistan.

REDtone, which aims to be an international telecommunications service provider, invested RM20 million to set up the infrastructure.

Maxis posts strong results
Thursday February 24, 2005



BY JAGDEV SINGH SIDHU

MAXIS Communications Bhd had a strong 2004 financial year as its subscriber base surged past the six million mark after it added on 745,000 subscribers in the fourth quarter.

And the group intended to spend RM1.4bil in capital expenditure in 2005, a 40% increase, with RM200mil earmarked for its high-speed third-generation (3G) network, chief executive officer Datuk Jamaludin Ibrahim said.

The group has declared a fourth interim dividend of 6.94 sen a share less tax and proposed a final dividend comprising a 10 sen tax-exempt and a 8.33 sen less tax dividend.

Full-year dividend on a net basis amounted to 36 sen a share compared with 20 sen in 2003. “We had a fantastic fourth quarter in every sense,'' Jamaludin said at a media briefing on Maxis' annual results in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

“We were able to grow our customer base and enhance margins despite the heightened competition.''

For the year ended Dec 31, 2004, Maxis posted a 13% decline in net profit to RM1.6bil, or 64.9 sen a share, from RM1.84bil, or 75.1 sen a share, a year earlier.


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Datuk Jamaludin Ibrahim


But excluding a massive exceptional gain of RM828mil recorded in year 2003, net profit for 2004 increased by 30%. Revenue improved by 22% to RM5.7bil from RM4.7bil previously, while pre-tax profit surged 83% to RM2.3bil from RM1.3bil.

During the year under review, Maxis added 1.56 million subscribers, or a 35% jump, to 6.02 million from 2003, with prepaid customers making up 79% of the total. The big jump in net subscribers in the fourth quarter was attributed to a big reduction in the price of starter kits and active promotions.

“Apart from a reduction in price, the fourth quarter featured one of our biggest ever advertising campaigns,'' Jamaludin said.

Jamaludin estimated that subscriber growth for 2005 would be in the “low teens” range.

Average revenue per user (ARPU) for both its prepaid and postpaid segments declined. ARPU for its postpaid clients fell to RM161 from RM167 while pre-paid ARPU dropped from RM64 to RM61.

The company said the churn rate for its postpaid customers fell to 19% while that for the prepaid segment rose to 29% due to increased competition and the low entry price of mobile services.

Mobile data revenue, which includes that from services such as SMS and ring tones, jumped 73% as SMS volume increased 70% to 4.6 billion.

“We are also encouraged by the pace at which our overall revenue mix is evolving towards higher growth services like mobile data. Clearly, our emphasis on mobile data and innovation is starting to pay off,'' Jamaludin said.

As the penetration rate of mobile services increases, Maxis estimates that the next range of customers would be from the lower income level and that, together with cheaper phones and lower entry costs, will lift subscriber numbers.

On whether the price war in SMS would spill over to call rates, Jamaludin said: “We do not expect the same scale in local rates; maybe on IDD rates, which include the VOIP and fixed line players.''

Jamaludin said 3G services from Maxis were on track for commercial rollout by the middle of the year and that will usher in the introduction of video-based services.

On the group's dividend policy, chief financial officer Rossana Rashidi said that the latest payout of 55.7% of net profit was sustainable. The payout ratio for 2003 was 44.2%

NasionCom to go broadband



BY HONG BOON HOW




BROADBAND telecommunications service provider NasionCom Holdings Bhd expects to launch its broadband phone service with the pre-fix number of 015 soon.

NasionCom managing director Datuk Chee Kok Wing said the pre-fixed number would enable broadband phone users to receive calls from normal phones as well as broadband phones.

Broadband phones that are only reachable through Internet Protocol (IP) addresses cannot be dialled to from a normal phone.

“With our type of broadband phones, our users can use them any where in the world as long as there are Internet connections,” Chee told StarBiz in Kuala Lumpur.

The public issue of NasionCom involves 15 million shares reserved for eligible directors, employees and business associates of the group, five million shares for the public and 40 million shares via a restricted issue.

NasionCom shares will be listed on Bursa Malaysia's Mesdaq market tomorrow. NasionCom posted a pre-tax profit of RM7.51mil on revenue of RM153.6mil for the year ended Dec 31, 2004.

Chee said NasionCom has a policy to engage qualified and dynamic professional managers to run the daily operations of the company.

“Certain investors prefer that shareholders do not interfere with the daily management of the company and leave the task to professionals who have the correct skills,” he said.

The duties of the company's executive directors, Chee said, should be to determine the company's business direction and scout for new business opportunities.

Chee said the company had appointed Johnson Khoo, the former country manager of Cisco Systems Sdn Bhd, as NasionCom's group chief executive officer.

While at Cisco, Khoo was responsible for developing and growing Cisco's market share, grooming human resources and talent, and planning and executing business strategies.

“Khoo has background in all the necessary knowledge in IP systems and he will be very suitable to run the company,” Chee said.

Khoo said that customer satisfaction was the company's main priority as NasionCom was a service-oriented company.

“We have to ensure that we will continue to nurture and train our workforce to meet the challenges and customer demands in a highly competitive business environment,” he said.

Telekom announces VSS

By B.K. SIDHU



Telekom Malaysia Bhd announced a voluntary separation scheme (VSS) yesterday – possibly the biggest in Malaysia’s corporate history – that may involve the departure with benefits of more than 3,000 employees.

The subsequent cost savings on wages after the VSS will help the group achieve comparable or higher efficiency relative to other regional telcos.

Telekom expects up to 10% or 3,050 of its employees to take up the VSS. The group has a total workforce of 30,500.

News of the VSS was flashed on StarBiz News Alerts, a short messaging service (SMS) yesterday afternoon.

Telekom has the largest number of staff viz-a-viz other regional telcos and its average revenue per employee is said to be much lower than its regional peers'.

The VSS could cost Telekom anything from RM250mil to RM300mil, but after the one-off hit, its wage costs would be lower in subsequent years.


Telekom said in a statement to Bursa Malaysia the VSS would be offered to all eligible staff and across all levels group-wide as part of a manpower rationalisation programme. The scheme is expected to be completed by the end of April.

“The VSS is mutually beneficial to both the staff and the company. For the staff, it gives them an option to pursue alternative careers with other organisations or start their own business by terminating their services with the company, and receiving a fair and equitable compensation,” Telekom said.

“For the company, the scheme gives it an avenue to optimise its manpower utilisation, and increase its operational efficiencies, productivity and overall competitiveness,’’ it added.Yesterday evening, Telekom group chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar held a video-conference with all of the company's employees in the country to announce the VSS and, at the same time, hear their views and answer queries about the scheme.

The VSS comes seven months after Wahid took the helm at Telekom. He has announced in the interim five broad strategies aimed at driving up revenues and making Telekom more cost efficient.




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Telekom said that going forward staff productivity and efficiency needed to be significantly enhanced after the completion of the VSS.

“Post-VSS, staff must be prepared for a new environment that leverages on diversity and multi-tasking, and focuses on deepening professionalism and other competencies,’’ Telekom said.

Fund managers and some analysts view the VSS positively, saying it would help Telekom in the longer term. But they are inclined to believe that this is only the first of more such schemes that Telekom would announce to become a more agile and profit-driven organisation.

Other VSS may need to be executed as it may be at a different time that employees may decide to pursue alternative careers, or a desire to become full-time homemakers in the case of the female staffers, an analyst said.

“We only hope that other government-linked companies (GLCs) would follow Telekom’s example. The good thing is that the VSS is being done when economic conditions are favourable and not during a downturn, which is common in Western countries,’’ an analyst said.

Added another analyst: “Telekom is over-staffed and it needs to right-size. It has been reducing staff by attrition – resignations and retirements – but it's not fast enough. For the staff who have been planning to leave, it's a windfall to be able to leave with a separation package.”

Of the group's 30,500 employees, over 12,000 are said to be with the TM Wholesale unit within Telekom, over 8,000 with TM Retail, some 1,000 with TM Net, about 4,200 with Celcom (M) Bhd, and the remainder with the various subsidiary companies.Telekom is due to announce its 2004 full-year financial results today. In yesterday’s trading, its shares ended unchanged at RM10.30.

Surge in mobile phone users



By B.K. SIDHU




Malaysia’s mobile phone sector recorded a steep 31% increase in subscriber numbers in the past year, overturning expectations that the market was close to saturation.

Some 14.6 million people, or more than half the country's population, were mobile phone subscribers at the end of last year.

With usage at this level, analysts are again expecting the saturation point would be reached soon.

Their earlier forecast was for market saturation in two years' time. But with 14.6 million people out of a population of 25 million being active mobile phone users, the penetration rate has reached 58%.

Industry experts say 65% is the benchmark for saturation in Malaysia, although it depends on a lot of factors, including affordability of mobile phones and charges.

For a developing country like Malaysia, some pundits believe cellular companies (celcos) may have to scrape the bottom of the barrel for the next wave of customers. Other analysts believe the celcos could rev up subscriber numbers by lowering entry barriers further.

OSK Securities head of research Pankaj Kumar believes that the penetration rate in urban centres is much higher than in rural areas. The rate in the Klang Valley, for instance, could well be 80%.






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Looking at other Asian markets, however, subscriber growth in Malaysia may still have momentum.

Singapore has hit saturation with an 80% penetration, but South Korea – still one of the fastest growing mobile markets in the world – has a penetration rate of 90%. In Taiwan, it is over 100% because the government there allows one handset to have two SIM (subscriber identity module) cards.

Last year, Malaysia saw an addition of 3.5 million new users, bringing the total to 14.6 million from 11.1 million in 2003. Of those 3.5 million new subscribers, 1.55 million were signed up in the final three months of the year, the highest-ever addition for a quarter since mobile phones were introduced in the country more than a decade ago.

And of the 1.55 million, Maxis Communications Bhd accounted for 745,000, bringing its total subscriber base to 6.02 million or a 41% market share. Celcom (M) Bhd signed up 369,000 new subscribers during the same period to boost its total to 5.33 million and now has a 37% market share, while DiGi.Com Bhd gained 436,000 new subscribers to expand its base to 3.2 million and its market share to 22% at the end of last year.

The exponential growth in subscriber numbers in the fourth quarter last year was undoubtedly driven by a fierce price war which saw call rates, SIM pack costs, and short messaging service (SMS) charges drastically slashed.

“The fourth-quarter growth was driven by intense competition and the market is driven by prepaid,’’ Pankaj said. He does not think the growth can be repeated and estimates that the mobile subscriber growth rate would be in the low to mid-teens this year.

Avenue Securities senior analyst Jeffrey Tan is inclined to believe the growth rate would be in the mid-teens.

The surge in subscriber numbers was basically from the youth segment and also the rural areas, where coverage is gradually being expanded. Sabah, Sarawak and the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia were the major contributors to the rise in subscriber numbers last year.

Voice traffic still dominates in terms of revenue, accounting for 70% of industry total, while data and non-data make up the rest. The monthly average minutes per user rose from 436 minutes in 2003 to 446 last year for post-paid, but fell from 160 to 138 minutes for prepaid.






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Although 3G-based services will be made available commercially by Maxis and Celcom in the second quarter and second half this year respectively, the impact on data volume is expected to be “negligible”, at least for this year.

“It is about providing value propositions and for now we cannot see any for 3G,’’ said an industry expert.

But while it is nice to have roaring subscriber numbers, are all the 14.6 million mobile subscribers active users? The three operators contacted by StarBiz claimed that their subscribers are active users.

A Celcom spokesman said there was no standard method of accounting for active and non-active users; it was left to the individual operator.

“Maxis accounts for its postpaid customers by the number of lines registered, including principal and supplementary users, and for our prepaid customers by activated lines,’’ a Maxis official said.

Basically, all the operators will bar lines when users do not pay; it is just a question of how many days' grace is allowed. According to the celcos, the grace period could range from 45 to 150 days, depending on the user and his usage pattern.

But how does a celco account for a prepaid user? Is it from selling the SIM packs to the dealers or upon activation of the SIM cards by users?

“It is upon activation of the SIM card,’’ said a DiGi spokesperson. Both the Maxis and Celcom spokesmen echoed his statement.

The challenge for operators this year is to continue to keep the market excited with products and services that the consumers want, especially the youth market that most of the celcos are focusing on.

For the first quarter 2005, analysts expect new subscriber additions to be in the 650,000 to 700,000 range. But if operators want to see even more market share, perhaps it is time to plan another wave of price slashing.

Mobile market – from boys to men





BY B.K. SIDHU





THESE days parents give their school-going children hand phones so that they are accessible at all times as, to some parents, security is an issue. In some schools half the children in the class have mobile phones.

Some secondary school students save their pocket money to buy hand phones, as it is hip to own one.

Mobile phone games can even attract a five- or six-year-old. But in some countries mobile phones are banned for children below 12 years old.

The rate at which new models of phones are introduced in the marketplace is amazing. Parents often upgrade and hand down their old sets to their children.

The mobile phone is no longer a luxury. To many, it is a convenience and a way of life.

Handphone sales are roaring, as these days it costs less that RM200 to own one. Even domestic help prefer to carry their own phones than use their employer's.






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Everyone is using mobile phones these days








The youth market is an important area, and mobile operators are spending a lot of money trying to grow this market.

The youth can be a 12-year-old student or a 22-year-old. Each has his affordability level.

Realising this, operators have brought entry barriers down. With prices being more affordable, subscriber growth rates surged by 31% last year. Today we have 14.6 million mobile phone subscribers and the numbers are growing by the day.

The price war drove SIM packs from RM200 to a mere RM18-RM20. SMS these days only cost 1 sen or 2 sen, and there is massive price slashing on call rates. This will spur more people to use their mobile phones.

Post-paid monthly average minutes per user are on the rise, but that of pre-paid have fallen. Last year, minutes of use for post-paid rose to 446 from 436 in 2003, while for pre-paid it fell from 160 to 138.

The SMS market is booming, with millions of messages sent monthly.

Maxis Communications Bhd saw volume surge 73% to 4.6 billion last year, from 2.7 billion a year earlier.

Data usage is increasing but not at the pace mobile operators had hoped for. DiGi.Com Bhd saw data usage rise to 16% of revenue in 4Q 2004, and Maxis 10% to RM213mil.

With the rise in mobile usage, a noticeable drop was seen in Telekom Malaysia Bhd’s fixed line business.

While there are benefits to having a mobile phone, there is also a down side, especially when you are watching a movie in the cinema.

The last thing you want to hear is a tone that irks you.

Telekom M'sia Opens RM14 Mln Submarine Cable Station
February 17, 2005 13:20 PM




KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 (Bernama) -- Telekom Malaysia Thursday officially opened its fourth and latest submarine cable station in Peninsular Malaysia at Pengkalan Balak, Melaka.

The RM14 million cable station is designed to provide high capacity network for voice and data traffic between Malaysia and Indonesia.

Built on a 1.448-hectare (3.62-acre) site, it has been completed within six months and was ready for service last month , Telekom Malaysia said in a statement here today.

The cable station houses two submarine cable systems, namely the Dumai-Melaka Cable System (DMCS) and SEA-ME-WE 4 or South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 4.

Telekom Malaysia said Melaka was chosen as the site for the latest cable station due to its geographical location. It is the closest point to Dumai in Sumatra, Indonesia, for the DMCS project and closer to Kuala Lumpur as compared to existing cable stations located at Cherating, Mersing and Kuala Muda.

The company added that construction of the cable system marked a major business co-operation between Telekom Malaysia and PT Telkom of Indonesia.

Both parties signed the construction and maintenance agreement on May 14 last year and the DMCS was constructed by NEC Corporation of Japan.

The 150-kilometre system spans across the Straits of Malacca, connecting Dumai and Melaka.

Telekom Malaysia's group chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar said the DMCS was designed to carry a maximum capacity of 320 gigabits per second, equivalent to 3.871 million simultaneous phone calls between Malaysia and Indonesia.

"With this high capacity channel, the system is capable of establishing more efficient global network communications," he said.

He added that the existence of better communication facilities able to cater to the increasing demand for high bandwidth could help to attract potential investors, especially multinational companies, to invest in Malaysia.

As for the SEA-ME-WE 4, it is a submarine cable system that will connect 14 countries. The system is still under construction with the collaboration from 15 international telcos and is expected to be operational early next year.

-- BERNAMA

Telekom Malaysia Clarifies Position On Listing In Sri Lanka
March 07, 2005 21:32 PM




KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 (Bernama) -- Telekom Malaysia Bhd is currently exploring the possibility of an initial public offering of the shares of its wholly owned subsidiary, MTN Networks (Private) Ltd on the Sri Lankan bourse, said a statement Monday.

The company was replying to Bursa Malaysia's query on the article in the Star Bizweek dated March 5, 2005, entitled "Telekom to list unit in Sri Lanka", wherein it was mentioned that Telekom Malaysia planned to list its Sri Lankan subsidiary, MTN Networks or Dialog GSM on the Colombo Stock Exchange.

Telekom also said that there were certain inaccuracies that were featured in the article which were "MTN Networks is the largest mobile telecommunication service provider on the island and has a 40 percent market share of the Sri Lankan mobile phone market, with some two million subscribers" and "MTN Network also has a presence in more than 10 countries, which include Ghana, Cambodia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India and South Africa".

The company clarified that as at end 2004, the subscriber base of MTN Networks stood at 1.4 million representing approximately 55 percent of the estimated total number of subscribers in Sri Lanka.

Telekom also said that the MTN Networks is 100 percent owned by TM International Sdn Bhd, the vehicle overseeing and managing the overseas ventures of Telekom.

Apart from Sri Lanka, TM International has operations and financial interests in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malawi, Guinea and Ghana.

Telekom Malaysia's divestment of its interest in Telkom South Africa was completed in Nov 2004, after eight years of operations, said the company.

-- BERNAMA

No gain for prepaid users in price war
RIZALMAN HAMMIM


THE ongoing price war between mobile phone companies to retain and pinch postpaid users from rival firms, looks like its increasingly turning out to be a raw deal for prepaid users, which makeup almost 60 per cent of mobile phone companies customer base.
Consider this, prepaid users pay in advance for the talktime they use, which means there is zero chance of them defaulting, and since there are no bills to pay, it saves mobile phone companies millions of ringgit in staff and administrative costs.

Yet, their call charges are much higher, than that of postpaid users, who pay up only after they use the talk time.

Mobile phone companies also have to set up administrative offices, to serve postpaid customers — for them to pay their bills, and for new registration.

Prior to the price war, the rationale behind imposing a heftier call rate on prepaid users, was because postpaid users have to pay an access fee of about RM60 every month, regardless of whether they use their mobiles to make calls or not.

But now, all three mobile phone companies — Maxis Communications Bhd, DiGi.Com Bhd and Celcom Bhd, are starting to offer virtually no access fee for post paid users, if they use up a minimum talk time of RM75.

On top of that, postpaid users are still charged less for calls made, as opposed to prepaid users and even for SMS (short messaging service), postpaid users are getting a better deal than prepaid users.

In a country where more than 60 per cent of the 14 million mobile users are prepaid users, perhaps its time for the regulatory authority, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), to step in, and force mobile phone companies to start giving better rates to prepaid users.

No doubt, the telcos may suggest that they are giving a better deal to postpaid users because of the higher average revenue per user (ARPU), they get from postpaid users, as compared to prepaid users.

Maxis, which has 6.02 million subscribers as at end of December, has an ARPU of RM161 for postpaid and RM61 for its prepaid users. DiGi, with 3.24 million users as at end of last year, has an ARPU of RM186 for postpaid and RM55 for its prepaid users. On the converse, Celcom, with 5.34 million users, is estimated to have an ARPU of RM127 for postpaid and RM51 for prepaid users.

The mobile phone business in Malaysia, is worth about RM18 billion a year, and the time is ripe for the telcos either through their own initiative or through “persuasion” from MCMC, to close the cost gap of making a call from a prepaid mobile phone, because consumers who pay hard cash in advance, must be shown that they are needed, respected and appreciated by mobile firms

Handphone Users Reach 14.5 Million
March 31, 2005 14:33 PM




KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- Up to 14.45 million people, or more than half the country's 23 million population, are handphones users, the Dewan Rakyat was told Thursday.

Deputy Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor said the figure was based on the ministry's statistics up to the fourth quarter last year and did not include fixed-line users who numbered 4.46 million.

The ministry was working with the Housing and Local Government Ministry to make the provision of telecommunication facilities for the public a must, just like water and electricity supply, he said in reply to Datuk Liow Tiong Lai (BN-Bentong).

He said efforts were being made to amend laws under the Housing and Local Government Ministry to empower the local authorities to make telecommunications towers a must for every new housing project approved.

The ministry was also working to extend handphone coverage to the whole country under two phases, he added.

Phase T-1 would target places like Putrajaya, Cyberjaya, KLIA and 23 federal government buildings in Putrajaya which currently had 66 per cent coverage.

Under phase T-2, which covered major towns, main roads and railways, 1,650 telecommunication towers would be built by end of next year.

"Besides that, 4,448 transmission stations will also be built and shared by the telecommunication companies," he said.

Shaziman said the Communication and Multimedia Commission had asked the state governments to identify a company in each state to jointly build the telecommunication towers.

-- BERNAMA

Malaysians Ready To Embrace Mobile Broadband, Says Ericsson
April 05, 2005 15:58 PM




CYBERJAYA, April 5 (Bernama) -- Malaysians are ready to embrace mobile broadband, a service that provides high speed broadband access to the internet via handphones, said Ericsson's Mobile Broadband specialist, Mikael Persson.

"People are already accustomed to high-speed surfing on the internet and have adapted to mobile phones and laptops being part of their everyday life," he said at a media briefing on broadband here Tuesday.

He said Malaysia's positive trends in mobile communication was a clear indication of a possible high take up rates for mobile broadband.

A survey done by Ericsson ConsumerLab in 2004 revealed that the majority of consumers preferred a mobile phone as compared to a fixed phone.

Fixed technologies are where most of the broadband access is currently available.

Findings of the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) stated that Malaysia's mobile phone subscribers grew by 31 percent to 14.6 million last year, reflecting a 58 percent penetration rate.

Noting the government's call to raise the country's low broadband penetration to 10 percent by 2008 from the present one percent, Persson said mobile broadband was the most effective way to accelerate broadband penetration n the country.

Broadband service is deployable with any third generation mobile services (3G) technology namely EDGE, CDMA2000 (Code Division Multiple Access2000) and WCDMA (Wide CDMA).

DiGi is already offering EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) services while Maxis and Telekom Malaysia would offer the 3G/WCDMA services this year.

Ericsson, the world leader in radio network technology had supplied 35 out of 56 commercially launched WCDMA networks. The company is the holder of the largest WCDMA essential patent portfolio.

-- BERNAMA

Ericsson Awarded Contract To Manage Maxis 3G Network
April 05, 2005 15:58 PM




KUALA LUMPUR, April 11 (Bernama) -- Maxis Communications Bhd, the largest mobile operator in the country, has awarded the contract to Ericsson to manage its third generation (3G) network.

Under the agreement and with immediate effect, Ericsson will operate Maxis' 3G (WCDMA - Wide Code Division Multiple Access2000) network for an 18-month period, after which the operation of the network will be transferred to Maxis.

Maxis chief operating officer, Edward Ying said Maxis would be launching its 3G services in the second half of this year.

Ying explained that Maxis awarded the managed services contract to Ericsson because Maxis did not have the expertise to run the network at this point of time.

"We engage Ericsson to tap on its expertise to deliver a very effective, efficient and good network for customers to use from day one," he said at a press conference after the signing of the contract agreement, Monday.

"We don't want a trial and error network, when we introduce 3G," he added.

"It is not about savings but competency. It is a brand technology and we need the expertise more than savings," he said.

He said it was a sizeable contract showing how serious Maxis was about bringing 3G to the market.

Both Ericsson and Maxis had agreed not to disclose the value of the contract.

With the contract, Maxis becomes the first operator in Asia that employs a managed services solution for its 3G network, while managing its own 2G network.

This is the second managed services contract that Ericsson signed with Maxis. The first was for Ericsson's mobile music portal, M-USE, which is the platform for Maxis' mobile music services offered under MyMaxis, which is hosted, integrated and managed by Ericsson.

On Maxis' 3G strategy, Ying said more would be revealed at a press conference to be held within the next 10 days, where the company would explain the progress of its 3G network at the moment. Details such as how many base stations have been set up, the first service to be introduced, the date of the full commercial launch and network of coverage would be revealed then, he added.

He said in the first year, Maxis would not expect many customers.

"Being a new technology, we must make sure our network is good, otherwise there will be no subscribers. I think initially, we are not looking for a lot subscribers but it will be sizeable enough to ensure that it is a good network," he said.

Meanwhile, the president of Ericsson South East Asia and country manager of Ericsson Malaysia, Kristian Tear, said Ericsson would also offer its services to manage the network of other mobile operators in the country.

"We are used to handle multiple customers in one market," he said, but declined to disclose who Ericsson was talking to at the moment to offer such services.

He said since 2002, Ericsson had officially announced over 40 managed services with operators worldwide.

He said Ericsson was a supplier to 35 out of the 56 operators who have launched commercial WCDMA services.

He said such managed services contracts offer savings of 10 percent or more to the customers, and some cases reach as high as 20-30 percent.

-- BERNAMA

Maxis to launch 3G network in 2H
By Doreen Leong




Maxis Communications Bhd, which has invested RM200 million in the first phase of its third generation high-speed mobile services (3G), is planning to launch the services in the second half of the year.

The government gave Maxis and Telekom Malaysia Bhd the go-ahead to begin building 3G mobile networks in 2003, after the two telcos won their 3G licences the previous year.

Maxis chief operating officer Edward Ying said the company would furnish more details on the 3G services within 10 days, following its tie-up with Ericsson (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.

Under the tie-up, Ericcson Malaysia will operate Maxis’ 3G network for 18 months, after which it will be transferred to Maxis.

Ying was speaking to reporters after a signing ceremony between Maxis and Ericsson on award of managed services contract in Kuala Lumpur on April 11.

He said Maxis was the first operator in Asia to employ a managed services solution for its 3G network, while managing its own 2G network.

Ericsson will transfer knowledge in 3G to Maxis. It will also provide network consulting services to develop service level agreements and key performance indicators.

Ying said the contract with Ericsson was “sizeable”, worth millions of ringgit. “We do not have the expertise, which is why we want to tap into Ericsson’s expertise to help deliver effective and efficient services to our customers,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ericsson president and country manager Kristian Tear said in most cases, its customers enjoyed savings of more than 10% by employing Ericsson’s managed services.

He said the company, which supports more than 450 networks globally, was also hoping to service other local telcos as well. “We are making our portfolio available for everybody,” Tear said.

Ericsson has over 40 managed services contracts with operators worldwide since 2002 and is currently managing networks that serve over 35 million subscribers globally.



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Ericsson South East Asia president & Ericsson Malaysia country manager Kristian Tear (2nd right) exchanging documents with Maxis Bhd COO Edward Ying (2nd left). Looking on are Maxis Bhd CTO Rolf Marthinusen (left) and Ericsson Malaysia VP for Key Account Maxis Arun Bansal (right)

TM Net to launch SMS payment services next month
By Reese Loh




Internet service provider TM Net Sdn Bhd is targeting to launch the country’s first “Xecure Message Service” (XMS) product in a month following the signing of a collaboration agreement with NSS Msc Sdn Bhd on April 11.

TM Net chief executive officer Datuk Baharum Salleh said the XMS would be the first-of-its-kind product launch in the local market that enabled end-to-end security in mobile messaging involving payment transactions.

“We plan to launch the first XMS product within a month from now by offering payment transaction for TM Net’s users,” he said after the signing ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.

The technology will aso enhance TM Net’s existing credit card- and debit card-based bill payments in which an SMS-based interface will be developed to enable TM Net users to provide their card details securely to the bank or TM Net’s interface.

It would also allow bill payments for any of TM Net’s services to be made through SMS, he said.

Baharum said TM Net and NSS would collaborate to market the new product targeting at government agencies, telecommunications companies and financial institutions.

He said TM Net had targeted to launch the fully secure m-Commerce platform in the integrated payment system through the use of XMS by the third quarter of the year.

Baharum said TM Net and NSS would be finalising their collaborative agreement platform within three months before deploying the full range of XMS products.

Telekom's New Brand Identity Ceremony Can Be Viewed Online
April 14, 2005 14:09 PM




KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 (Bernama) -- Telekom Malaysia's new brand identity, to be launched today by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, can be viewed worldwide via the www.tm.net.my and www.bluehyppo.com websites.

The ceremony, due to kick off at 5pm local time, will be attended by about 4,000 people, mainly staff of the telecommunications group.

Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Lim Keng Yaik and Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop are also scheduled to attend the historic ceremony.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Telekom group chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar said the new identity would signify the universal brand that could be made applicable to Telekom's various investments overseas.

"Telekom is no longer focusing on domestic operations. We have grown to become a regional company. We have expanded our operations to other parts of Asia, thus there is a need for us to adopt a more universal brand," he said.

Abdul Wahid said the new brand identity would also bring new vitality to the company's overall image as well as instilling a fresh approach to its customer service culture.

"The rebranding will also seen in some changes which are currently happening within Telekom itself. Changes that we have started and changes which are continuing," he said.

"The changes cover various areas from the way we work, cultural practices to the way we treat our customers," he added.

Abdul Wahid said the new identity was the company's second visual identity change since 1990 when it became a public listed entity.

The telco's first identity change occurred in 1987 when the company moved from being a government department to a corporatised body known as Syarikat Telekom Malaysia (STM).

This was followed by another change to its name and identity which was Telekom Malaysia Bhd when it listed on the Main Board of the then Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange on Nov 7, 1990.

"I think it is time that we give the group a new brand, a fresh and more energetic look, to move within the fast changing pace of the telecommunications industry itself," Abdul Wahid said.

This year marks Telekom's 15th anniversary as a listed entity on Bursa Malaysia, and hence the rebranding exercise seeks a sense of renewal to the company's overall brand identity, he added.

-- BERNAMA

JARING To Push Broadband Phones With Low Rates
April 14, 2005 14:12 PM
http://www.jaring.my/



http://www.jaring.my/images/header_logo.gif



KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 (Bernama) -- JARING is on a drive to help phone users save money on local and international calls through its discounted broadband phone services, targeting at 100,000 new subscribers over the next 12 months.

In a statement here, JARING said for the first time Malaysians would be able to get their own phone number and make free calls up to RM10 to anywhere by signing up for a free trial with JARING.

JARING phones make and receive calls using the prefix 015, delivering what it describes as "crystal clear" calls using Internet telephony technology also known as voice Internet protocol or VoIP.

Chief executive of JARING, Dr Mohamed Awang Lah said they had the technology to push 015 phones with a mix of free calls, low rates and promotional packages.

Mohamed added that calls made from one JARING phone to another JARING phone enjoy a single global rate over the JARING MY015 network.

He said there would be just one rate for the entire world for subscribers calling one another under our Community Call Plan.

"This is already included in the MY015 subscription, so in effect you can get to make free calls among MY015 subscribers, where ever they are in the world," said Mohamed.

JARING will start an aggressive promotion campaign where after RM10 free trial calls have been made, users can top up a minimum of RM25 valid for 30 days beginning this week.

The MY015 free starter pack CD includes RM10 worth of free phone calls. The CD contains MY015 Soft Phone which can be installed on a PC or laptop.

Mohamed said that there are about three million Internet dialup subscribers in Malaysia and it might exceed its 100,000 subscriber target over the next 12 month.

-- BERNAMA

BRAND NEW... Telekom Malaysia employees posing with the company's new logo after the launching of its new brand by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at Menara Telekom, Kuala Lumpur, Thursday. The rebranding of Telekom Malaysia include the name change of the company to TM Bhd. Pix: Mazlan Samion


http://foto.bernama.com/foto/Photo/tm.jpg

Telekom's New Brand Identity Ceremony Can Be Viewed Online


KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 (Bernama) -- Telekom Malaysia's new brand identity, to be launched today by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, can be viewed worldwide via the www.tm.net.my and www.bluehyppo.com websites.

The ceremony, due to kick off at 5pm local time, will be attended by about 4,000 people, mainly staff of the telecommunications group.

Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Lim Keng Yaik and Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop are also scheduled to attend the historic ceremony.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Telekom group chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar said the new identity would signify the universal brand that could be made applicable to Telekom's various investments overseas.

"Telekom is no longer focusing on domestic operations. We have grown to become a regional company. We have expanded our operations to other parts of Asia, thus there is a need for us to adopt a more universal brand," he said.

Abdul Wahid said the new brand identity would also bring new vitality to the company's overall image as well as instilling a fresh approach to its customer service culture.

"The rebranding will also seen in some changes which are currently happening within Telekom itself. Changes that we have started and changes which are continuing," he said.

"The changes cover various areas from the way we work, cultural practices to the way we treat our customers," he added.

Abdul Wahid said the new identity was the company's second visual identity change since 1990 when it became a public listed entity.

The telco's first identity change occurred in 1987 when the company moved from being a government department to a corporatised body known as Syarikat Telekom Malaysia (STM).

This was followed by another change to its name and identity which was Telekom Malaysia Bhd when it listed on the Main Board of the then Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange on Nov 7, 1990.

"I think it is time that we give the group a new brand, a fresh and more energetic look, to move within the fast changing pace of the telecommunications industry itself," Abdul Wahid said.

This year marks Telekom's 15th anniversary as a listed entity on Bursa Malaysia, and hence the rebranding exercise seeks a sense of renewal to the company's overall brand identity, he added.

-- BERNAMA

Telekom spends RM9m on new brand identity
By HO SIEW YEE


TELEKOM Malaysia Bhd has spent some RM9 million to create its new brand identity — ‘TM’.

Unveiled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday, the new branding is aimed at showcasing the company’s increased focus on customer service and its role as an international player.

Telekom group chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar said the immediate focus is to build positive perception and brand value for the new TM brand.

The launching of the new brand also marked the 15 years of Telekom’s listing on Bursa Malaysia Bhd.

Chairman Tan Sri Muhammad Radzi Mansor said Menara Telekom will also be renamed Menara TM.

The rebranding of Telekom is timely because it sets a fresh path for the company as this marks the 15th anniversary its listing on the main board, he said.

He said the new brand will help as Telekom is expanding its operations internationally, especially in South and South-East Asia.

Muhammad Radzi said the branding exercise comprises a training programme for 5,000 front line staff in providing service delivery, including installation and fault restoration, call centres and retail outlets.

He also said Kedai Telekom will now be renamed TMpoint to reflect a new image and customer service orientation.

“TM customers will get to enjoy mobile broadband through the third generation (3G) technology that will be launched in the second half of this year,” Muhammad Radzi said.

Meanwhile, Abdul Wahid said the proposed listing of its Sri Lankan subsidiary MTN Networks (Pte) Ltd on the Colombo Stock Exchange is still in the early stage.

Maxis sees 10,000 3G users
Tuesday April 19, 2005




MAXIS Communications Bhd, the first local company to commercially launch its third generation (3G) mobile telecommunications service, is looking to secure between 5,000 and 10,000 users for its Maxis 3G Connect high-speed laptop data card service by the year-end.

Chief operating officer Edward Ying said the data card was Maxis' pioneering product that set in motion the fulfilment of its 3G promise to customers.

“It is significant in our 3G roadmap as it anticipates the arrival of more Maxis 3G applications,” he said at the launch of Maxis' first commercial 3G service in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The Maxis 3G Connect card comes with data transfer speed of up to 384kbps, which is 10 times faster than that for general packet radio services (GPRS) and three times quicker than Enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE).


http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2005/4/19/business/b_03ying.jpg

Edward Ying

“Our target customers are corporate users but we believe this is a very attractive application for customers who are looking for a truly mobile solution anywhere in Malaysia,” Ying said.

Maxis 3G Connect offers its users greater speed and mobility with seamless connectivity and convenience.

The Maxis 3G Connect PCMCIA card allows users to connect seamlessly to both 3G and 2.5G networks.

When customers are outside of the 3G network coverage which is currently available in the Klang Valley, Maxis 3G Connect automatically links up with Maxis' nationwide GPRS network to ensure connectivity.

“We have also bundled the data card with free access to our over 160 Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) hotspots and a software solution that ensures that users can roam seamlessly between 3G, WLAN and GPRS networks, always on the highest speed available.

“This means customers with a laptop can work and play practically anywhere without ever having to look for phone lines or WLAN connections again,” Ying said.

Maxis has invested RM200mil to set up 300 sites in the Klang Valley under the first phase of its 3G network programme.

Ying said Maxis was on schedule to introduce its full suite of mobile 3G services including voice and video calls by the second half of the year.

“We will ramp up our 3G network rollout to cover Penang and Johor Baru by the end of the year,” he said.

Ying said the demand for 3G services was growing at a fast pace in Europe and Asia.

“We anticipate demand for 3G services in Malaysia to follow a similar pace,” he said.

Maxis has selected Astro, Ericsson, LogicaCMG and Siemens as strategic partners in the deployment of 3G network and services across the Maxis' coverage area.

The Maxis 3G Connect data card is available at Maxis i-Centres in KLCC, Taipan Subang Jaya, Taman Tun Dr Ismail and Ampang for RM1,599 with monthly access fee at RM149.

Customers who sign up before June 17 will enjoy a monthly access of RM120 until the end of the year.

Maxis head of 3G and wireless broadband Dr Nikolai Dobberstein said 3G technology was more complex compared with the existing 2G technology.

“We want to address all technological issues before we roll out 3G voice services. This is to ensure that our customers will enjoy optimum performance when they use our 3G voice services,” he said.

He said that 71 operators in 33 countries had launched 3G services.

“There are already 25 million users of 3G (in the world) as at the first quarter of this year,” he said.

Celcom To Provide Largest 3G Network Coverage In Malaysia


PUTRAJAYA, May 11 (Bernama) -- Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd is set to launch its 3G or Third Generation mobile services in the country on May 17, with its 3G network expected to cover several states in the peninsular.

Celcom will provide the 3G services in the Klang Valley, Penang, Johor Bahru, Melaka and Kedah areas, making it the most extensive 3G network coverage in Malaysia.

"We are offering 3G network on Motorola and Nokia models and we are planning to roll out 3G network for more mobile phone brands gradually," Celcom group chief executive officer, Datuk Ramli Abbas told a media Briefing, here Wednesday.

He also said that Celcom was talking to telecommunication players in Singapore for the integration of its 3G international roaming services in Singapore.

"We are keen to extend our integration with other countries that have strong 3G market such as Hong Kong, Australia and UK," he said.

"We intend to provide competitive rates with interesting contents such as entertainment, education, news, traffic position (realtime) in Klang Valley, Johor Bahru and Penang, women lifestyle and health features as well as music," he said.

He said Celcom has also tied up with six stock broking firms to enable the provision of realtime stock quotes and trading.

"We are targeting existing high-end customers such as GPRS (General Packet Radio Services) based customers, to switch to our 3G services," he said.

Celcom has 500,000 GPRS customers currently.

-- BERNAMA

Maxis identifies video-based services for July launch
Thursday May 12, 2005
BY SURAJ RAJ



http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2005/5/12/business/p3-maxis.JPG

Dr Nikolai Dobberstein (left) and Datuk Jamaludin
Ibrahim showing to the media the capabilities of 3G.



MAXIS Communications Bhd would unveil services on its 3G platform by July and has identified video calls, video mail, video streaming and video clips as offerings that it would launch initially for its Maxis3G service.

Chief executive officer Datuk Jamaludin Ibrahim said at a briefing yesterday the company “wants to launch a product that has high quality, good coverage and applications that were beneficial to the consumers.’’

He said Maxis would strive to ensure customer superiority in network and services; provide good content; and provide a differentiated service.

The four would be initial offerings but as the take up rate for the service picks up, Maxis would continuously introduce more services, he added.

He also identified three major groups that the company was targeting as its customers for the 3G offerings.

“The first will be the data-hungry youths, usually between the age of 20 and 30 years old.

“The second group would be professional which are in the 35 age group and above; and new data users.’’

The company has over 850,000 GPRS (global system for mobile communications) users, of which 430,000 were from the Klang Valley. Company officials said about 100,000 fitted into the active data users category that Maxis is aiming to be early adopters of the 3G services.

The mobile data business contributes about 16% to its revenue of RM5.6bil as at end last year and with 3G, company officials are expecting it to increase.

Maxis expects its Maxis3G services to be available in Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur, and the KL International Airport when the service is launched in July.

However, the service would be extended to parts of Penang and Johor Bahru next year. At the point of launch, the data transmission speed should be about 100 to 200kbps.

On pricing, Jamaludin said Maxis was still working out the details. He said the availability of cheaper handsets would be the single biggest reason for mobile users to move to 3G.

He expects 3G handset pricing to come down to about RM1,000 by next year. Now 3G handsets are retailing above RM1,400 to RM2, 800.

He said the introduction of 3G services in Malaysia places Maxis at par with 73 other operators worldwide in around 33 countries that have already adopted 3G services to 25 million users globally.

Maxis head of 3G and wireless communications Dr Nikolai Dobberstein said the company received encouraging response to its recently launched 3G connect data card.

He said there were already 150 units sold and was confident sales would continue to grow.

maxis
http://www.maxis.com.my/


http://store.maxis.com.my/images/01_onevoice/3G_datacard/3gdc_cs.jpg


The uniqueness of Maxis 3G Connect is that there are instances when you do need to be truly mobile, such as in a traffic jam at the back of a taxi, on the ERL/LRT or on a bus from KL to JB. Stay connected through 3G (in Klang Valley) or GPRS (nationwide).

http://store.maxis.com.my/images/01_onevoice/3G_datacard/3gdc_card.jpg


But that's not all. Maxis 3G Connect is an all-inclusive data package which includes WLAN*. So whenever you are in a WLAN* hotspot, such as having a cup of coffee at Starbucks or meeting a customer at a hotel lobby, you will automatically enjoy high-speed access.


http://store.maxis.com.my/images/01_onevoice/3G_datacard/3gdc_coveragemap.gif

Ahh!!!! I couldn't find a news article about this!
BUT NTV7 is launching 24-hour broadband news now!!! Excellent connection speed! Very smooth~ :D:D

DiGi in talks with MCMC on 3G
By Doreen Leong
24 May 2005 9:37 AM



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DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd, which did not bid for a third-generation (3G) licence in 2002, is now in talks with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for the spectrum.

DiGi.com Bhd�s chief executive officer Morten Lundal says: �We believe 3G is an important new platform going forward, and we will therefore explore 3G opportunities as the next step in our development.

�At the same time, we will continue to roll out EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) throughout Malaysia. By fully integrating our 2.5G and 3G networks, we will be able to maximise network and coverage utilisation and compete through smart value-added solutions and service offerings on a level playing field.�

He says DiGi Telecommunciations has discussed with MCMC the options for obtaining the 3G spectrum. DiGi Telecommunications is wholly owned by DiGi.com.

In 2002, five companies submitted their bids for 3G mobile phone spectrum blocks, but DiGi did not take part in the bid. The value of the tender then was fixed at RM50 million.

At that time, the tenders were based on six criteria — the ability to ensure service roll-out and coverage; capacity for infrastructure sharing; roaming capacity; financial standing; commitment to industry development; and technical expertise.

In an email to FinancialDaily , Lundal says DiGi is now waiting for the MCMC to issue the ground rules, which will specify the information and commitments needed before 3G mobile phone spectrum is assigned.

We expect these (ground rules) to be issued soon,� Lundal says, adding that DiGi is committed to high-speed mobile data access as proven via its EDGE wireless technology.

He says the procedures for making available the spectrum are laid out in various Acts and regulations. �In awarding additional spectrum, the government needs to make a conscious decision that this is good for the industry and the country as a whole,� he adds.

Last week, the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the government would award two more 3G mobile licences to enhance industry competitiveness.

DiGi is also aiming to capture a bigger market share in the local mobile phone industry as it focusses on improving its network coverage and services, committing RM1 billion this year on its capital expenditure.

Telekom Malaysia Bhd�s (TM Group) unit Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd had recently launched the next generation telephony 3G network offering the widest mobile broadband coverage in the country, while Maxis Communications Bhd plans to launch the mobile 3G services in the second half of the year.

MCMC has estimated that rollout costs of the 3G spectrum assignment for Celcom and Maxis could come up to RM5 billion over 15 years.

Maxis, through its subsidiary UMTS (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, which has invested RM200 million in the first phase of its 3G services, has launched its 3G data cards for notebook computers, the first in its array of 3G services.

TM Group expected investment cost on its 3G services to be significantly lower than the previous estimate of RM4.3 billion over a 15-year period.

DiGi launches SmartMail
By Joseph Chin
24 May 2005 12:48 PM



DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd has launched its mobile broadband Internet access – SmartMail – which is its answer to the demands on push e-mail.

DiGi said on May 24 that based on the push technology, SmartMail offers a different e-mail system as opposed to the conventional method.

�Instead of having to retrieve e-mails from the mailbox, customers can instantly send and receive new e-mails, automatically update calendars and also view, edit and send attachments,� it said.

Customers are offered an extensive selection of devices that include Symbian phones, pocket PC and Smartphones.

DiGi�s deputy general manager, marketing and strategy, Loong Tuck Weng said with SmartMail, DiGi offers the best and most convenient mobile communications while strengthening its postpaid offerings, particularly to the business and corporate segments.

�With this service, customers are also spared the hassle of e-mail filter configurations and enjoy a quicker and more reasonable rate for delivery of e-mails during mobility,� he said.

The SmartMail service is available to all DiGi postpaid customers and registration at www.digi.com.my with an installation process that automatically activates the service.

The three versions of the subscription-based SmartMail service include the enterprise version, professional version and Internet version.

Under the enterprise version, corporate postpaid users can access their e-mail or calendar from their companies� Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes over the air via their PDA or Smartphone.

It is ideal for company-wide deployment, supports multiple users, ideal for companies which high mobility workforce and supports Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino.

The professional version allows postpaid users to access their e-mail or calendar from their companies� Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes over the air via their PDA. It is suitable for individual business users, groups and departments within large enterprises and also small enterprises with limited IT competence.

The Internet version allows postpaid users with ISP-hosted mail accounts to access their e-mail from their e-mail accounts over the air via their PDA or Smatphone, and is ideal for real-time push without a PC.

Under the SmartMail programme, DiGi is offering two plans. Under the unlimited RM99 plans, existing and new customers need only to an additional RM15 monthly subscription. Under the pay-as-you-use plan, customers can use the SmartMail at a monthly fee of RM30.

Telekom To Review Options On Stake In India
June 14, 2005 20:28 PM
By Umi Hani Sharani



SINGAPORE, June 14 (Bernama) -- Telekom Malaysia (TM) is reviewing all options, including making a solo bid for the stake in India's Idea Cellular, after the agreement to jointly acquire 47 percent shares in the same company by both TM and Singapore Technologies Telemedia (STT), lapsed on June 11, 2005.

"We are actually reviewing all our available options," said TM chief executive officer, Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar.

"It is still too early and premature to say," he told Malaysian reporters at the CommunicAsia 2005 exposition, here Tuesday.

STT and TM hold about 60 percent and 40 percent stake, respectively in the special purpose vehicle created for the Idea deal.

The two parties have issued statements calling off the proposed transaction to acquire a stake in Idea Cellular since they had failed to get the necessary regulatory approvals in India within the six months of the original agreement being signed.

Wahid was responding to an article in India's Economic Times which stated that TM had met officials from the Aditya Birla and Tata Groups in Mumbai, two of Idea's shareholders on Monday in Mumbai, where they informed their interest in proceeding with the deal on their own.

Asked to comment on the news that TM officials were also believed to have met officials from Cingular Wireless, Idea's foreign shareholder, Wahid said: "We have people around the world."

He said that as far as the international circuit was concerned, TM had already made known that it would focus more on Asia and that "India remains a market we are very much keen on."

"We are still very interested in India. We have stated from the onset that we are interested in this market whether we go alone or with other various options," he said.

"We would love to actually be there. But that very much depends on the opportunities available," he added.

Wahid was confident of India's potential as the country had a population of one billion but a low cellular penetration rate of 4.5 percent.

Christian Manuel de Faria, who has been negotiating with Idea on behalf of Telekom, had told the Economic Times that "it is our aim to move very quickly on this."

Aware that there might be other bidders for Idea, he was confident that TM has an advantage due to its more than a year long association with Idea's shareholders and officials.

"We know what they want," he was quoted as saying in the Economic Times.

de Faria, who just returned from Mumbai, was present at Tuesday's press conference.

As for the acquisition of 26 percent stake in Pakistan Telecom Communications Ltd (PTCL), Wahid said that TM would decide by June 16 on whether the group would make a bid for it.

TM was among nine companies shortlisted by the Pakistani government for the acquisition.

Wahid said that the winning party would have management control. Other interested parties included Singapore Telecom and China Mobile.

"As we understand it, the bidding would be done on June 18," he said.

Telekom has operations in Pakistan through its 78 percent owned Multinet Pakistan, a broadband and cable television services company.

On the listing of Telekom's Indonesian mobile operator, PT Excelcomindo Pratama, Wahid reiterated the group's intention to list the company by year end.

He also said that plans were on the way to float its Sri Lankan business MTN Networks in the third quarter this year.

He added that the group hoped to offer for sale up to 9.6 percent of the overall equity of the company and that the amount to be raised depended on investors' demand.

-- BERNAMA

Maxis is “Mobile Operator of the Year, Malaysia"
17 Jun 2005 6:51 PM


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Maxis Communications Bhd, which will roll out its 3G services on July 1, has been voted “Mobile Operator of the Year, Malaysia” by Asian MobileNews readers.

Maxis chief executive officer, Datuk Jamaludin Ibrahim was in Singapore on June 16 to accept the award.

“We are honoured to receive this award which affirms our commitment and passion to running the company professionally and profitably, with high integrity and a passion for customers, while observing the best practices in corporate governance and management,” he said in a statement.

“This award belongs to everyone at Maxis. Without people of such commitment and passion to be the best, we would not be here today,” he added, attributing the win to Maxis employees.

Jamaludin said the award encourages Maxis to remain passionate about its business, especially in enhancing customer satisfaction.

“We are developing personalised loyalty management and working doubly hard to ensure superior quality network and coverage, and speedier roll-out of innovative services,” he said.

Upon the launch of its 3G services on July 1, Maxis customers will be able to enjoy a range of video-based services including video calls, video mail, video clips and live streaming of multiple channels and movies at a faster speed.

“We aim to redefine customers’ communications experience with our new and exciting range of content which will be easily accessible via specially designed mobile phones to deliver a truly distinctive and unique Maxis 3G experience,” said Jamaludin.

OSK, Celcom launch OSK188mobile
By Alfean Hardy, 23 Jun 2005 10:44 PM



http://www.theedgedaily.com/cms/storage/images/com.tms.cms.image.Image_a9a7bf22-cb73c03a-5e8d7d00-6964ba33/1/OSK,Celcom_inside.jpg

Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd CEO, Datuk Ramli Abbas (left)
with OSK Holdings Bhd executive chairman, Datuk Nik Mohamed
Din Datuk Nik Yusoff (right) at the launch of OSK188mobile.
Looking on are Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd COO, Zubir A Rashid (2nd right)
and OSK Holdings Bhd, CEO Ong Leong Huat



OSK Holdings Bhd and Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd have launched the OSK188mobile, a service which allows subscribers to access real-time stock market data and analyses.

OSK188mobile is an extension of OSK’s existing OSK188 online service and is available to anyone using a 3G mobile phone who subscribes to Celcom’s 3G network.

It was created by OSK subsidiary Finexasia.com Sdn Bhd and is being offered as part of Celcom’s CIBS (Celcom Integrated Business Solutions) packages. Both OSK and Celcom declined to comment on the investment cost for the service.

At a press conference following the service’s launch in Kuala Lumpur on June 23, Finexasia.com director Jimmy Loke said: “OSK188mobile is for people on the move and for them to see share prices, read market research reports and chart transactions. It’s the first of its kind in Malaysia and caters for the equities and futures markets.”

“This is phase one and only allows access to information. With phase two, we are looking at real-time trading, like our online site, which already allows our subscribers to trade in real time,” he added.

Celcom chief operating officer Zubir A Rasid said the telecommunications giant was not setting subscription targets but added that it would be ideal for the 30,000 subscribers OSK already has for its OSK188 online service.

“OSK188mobile is to bring the client closer to the stock market and allows customers access to market information wherever they are,” he said.

DiGi expands its service in Sarawak
Thursday June 23, 2005



KUALA LUMPUR: DiGi Telecommunication Sdn Bhd has expanded its mobile communication services to Sri Aman in Sarawak.

The expansion will make available DiGi's mobile services to the town's 68,000 people, the company said in a statement.

It added that the service would also enable DiGi subscribers travelling from Melugu to Sibu to stay connected.

Benny Wee, DiGi regional manager for Sabah and Sarawak, said the expansion reinforces its continuous commitment to provide seamless access to mobile communications, which is aimed at bridging the gap within various local communities.

“With this service, DiGi can provide reliable mobile communications services for its subscribers, especially our business customers who frequent Sri Aman,” he said.

DiGi's service expansion will not be confined to the central areas of Sri Aman but will also include remote areas, such as the famous Fort Alice and Benak Beach, the company said.

There will be a promotion from June 15 to Aug 15 for those who sign up with DiGi.

Customers in Sri Aman who purchase DiGi Beyond Prepaid SIM Packs during the promotional period will be entitled to a special premium CD holder from DiGi.

DiGi To Spend RM1 Bln To Improve Coverage, Services
June 13, 2005 19:28 PM



JOHOR BAHARU, June 13 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's third largest mobile communication company, DiGi Telecommunication Sdn Bhd will spend RM1 billion this year for coverage expansion and products innovation, its chief executive officer, Morten Lundal, said Monday.

He said the company, 61 percent-owned by Norway's largest telecommunications company, Telenor ASA, wanted to increase its mobile customers base which currently stood at 3.46 million subscribers.

"We are hoping for a good year. This year the company will spend RM1 billion for quality coverage, in terms of building more telecommunication towers and product innovations. We hope with the quality in coverage and products innovation, the consumers will choose DiGi," he said in a media conference, here Monday.

Better coverage encompassing wider areas in Malaysia as well as products quality has enabled DiGi to add another 200,000 to its mobile customers base during the first quarter of this year, said Lundal.

Recently, DiGi announced a higher revenue of RM626 million for the first quarter of this year.

On whether DiGi had any plans to follow its rivals, Maxis and Telekom Malaysia in expanding its operation abroad especially in neighbouring markets, he said that there were no such plans and that it intend to only concentrate on Malaysian market.

-- BERNAMA

TM Net Provides Jalan Telawi With Wireless Internet
June 28, 2005 12:40 PM



KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 (Bernama) -- TM Net Sdn Bhd, Malaysia's leading internet service provider, has equipped Jalan Telawi in Bangsar, one of the most popular haunts in Kuala Lumpur with wireless internet connection.

The tmnet hotspot service, available at all outlets of Jalan Telawi 1, 2, 3 and 5, enable patrons to surf the internet, send and receive e-mail through their laptops and personal digital assistants (PDAs) without being tethered to wires.

The hotspot locations deploy Hotzone (Wi-Fi Mesh) technology, an enhancement of the WiFi technology TM Net is currently using for all its tmnet hotspot locations nationwide, TM Net said in a statement.

The new technology provides larger coverage area compared to normal hotspots and supports more users at any one time.

To date, TM Net has over 740 tmnet hotspot locations nationwide that include Sabah and Sarawak. These locations are expected to reach 1,000 by the end of the year.

-- BERNAMA

BRILLIANT TECHNOLOGY... Cyndy Chong, 23, displaying the Maxis 3-G prepaid services after the launching ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Friday. Customers can retain their existing numbers and rate plans and only need to get a Maxis 3G customised phone and a 3G SIM card. Pix: Mohd Faizol


http://foto.bernama.com/foto/Photo/maxis.jpg

Maxis To Spend Additional RM200 Mln To Roll Out 3G
July 01, 2005 21:06 PM



KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 (Bernama) -- Maxis Communication Bhd will spend another RM200 million to roll out third generation (3G) services by the year end, not only in Klang Valley, but Penang and Johor as well.

Its chief executive officer, Datuk Jamaludin Ibrahim, said that that would bring their total expenditure for 3G services to RM400 million this year.

He declined to mention the additional 3G expenditure for next year.

"Our investment will be very aggressive over the next few years," he told a media briefing before the launch of the Maxis 3G service here Friday.

Maxis spent considerable effort and investment in making sure its 3G network and handsets worked compatibly with one another, he said.

Currently, Maxis has 300 3G sites serving the Klang Valley, delivering seamless connectivity between 2G and 3G.

Jamaludin also said that profit would only be visible over the next four to five years due to capital and advertising expenditure.

He said Maxis was also the only local 3G provider to provide the service to pre-paid customers, besides the usual post-paid.

He said this was because youth and young professionals tended to be the first group to adopt the new level of technology.

About 60 percent of Maxis' customers are below 25 years old, with 40 percent of them using pre-paid, he said.

With Maxis 3G, customers can retain their existing numbers and rate plans, and only need to get a Maxis 3G customised phone and a 3G sim card.

He also added that it might take two to three years before 3G reaches critical mass.

Jamaludin said it took 2G close to two years before the industry reached its inflection point, while short messaging services (SMS) took six years.

"Within the next one to two years, 3G will move from realistic speeds of 150-200 kilobytes per second to one megabyte per second, and even more in the future," he said.

Maxis 3G services will not be limited to Malaysia as it can also reach Singapore, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Germany and Poland for now.

Besides live video telephony, among the 3G offerings are seven live TV channels, 10 news, business and sports video alerts, live traffic checks, home surveillance, over 8,000 music tones, 150 video clips and 200 games.

To date, 3G services are being provided by 74 operators in 34 countries.

Industry forecasts say that 13 percent of handsets sold globally in 2005 would be compatible with the service.

-- BERNAMA

Telcos connect to Ericsson's Internet payment system
By Yap Lih Huey, 12 Jul 2005 11:02 PM




http://www.theedgedaily.com/cms/storage/images/com.tms.cms.image.Image_b8e696e0-cb73c03a-a2267100-f135f19b/1/Telcos%20Ericcsson_inside.jpg

Zalman (left) exchanging documents with Ahlberg
at the signing ceremony. In the background are Loong (left)
and Kugan




Maxis Communications Bhd, Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd and DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd will soon be connected to Ericsson�s Internet payment exchange (IPX) solution to provide a secure, reliable and simple environment for their mobile customers to purchase content over their mobile phones.

The IPX solution includes payment settlement as well as mobile premium and non-premium connectivity via short messaging services and wireless application protocol initially, with plans to include multimedia messaging services in the near future.

The integration between the Ericsson IPX solution and all the three operators are completed and is ready to be deployed.

�What IPX does is to simplify business models between operators, content providers and consumers. Operators will have a single interface to a large pool of content providers, both locally and from across the globe,� said Ericssons IPX business development director for Asia Pacific, Mans Burman.

He was speaking at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur on July 12 after a signing ceremony to formalise the individual agreements between Ericsson and the three mobile operators.

Maxis was represented by its general manager and head of content and mobile data, T. Kugan while the vice president of marketing, Zalman Aefendy Zainal Abidin signed on behalf of Celcom.

DiGi was represented by its head of product management, Loong Tuck Weng. Ericsson Southeast Asia vice president and head of services and solutions, Christian Ahlberg signed on behalf of Ericsson.

Consumers will gain access to a broad portfolio of new and exciting digital content, and will have peace of mind knowing that there is a secure and reliable charging environment supporting their purchases over their mobile phones, he added.

There are eight local content providers under the initiative and Ericsson planned to sign up more local content providers soon.

Telekom still keen on Indian market
Updated : 13-07-2005
Media : Business Times
Story By : SHAHRUL HAFEEZ
http://www.telekom.com.my/




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TELEKOM Malaysia Bhd, is still keen on the lucrative Indian market and is examining options on the matter.

¡°Right now, there are no more updates. We are however looking at our various options available,¡± chief executive Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar said, declining to elaborate further.

Telekom and Singapore Technologies Telemedia Pte were planning to buy a stake in Idea Cellular Ltd, but the deal could not be wrapped up as they could not get the regulatory approvals within the stipulated time.

Idea is the fifth-largest mobile phone firm in India with a subscriber base of 5.4 million.

Abdul Wahid was speaking to reporters in Ipoh after meeting Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali yesterday.

Telekom is also not worried about the fall in fixed line residential customers because this is buffered by a rise in business customers.

Abdul Wahid also said there has been marked increases in the other sectors the telecommunications company is involved in, including cellular services and Internet services under the Streamyx brand.

The latter, for example, saw a double-figure jump in its customer base, he said.

Abdul Wahid said Telekom is focusing on efforts in updating its services and operations by getting feedback from its customers, hence his visit to the state.

¡°Perak is one of our biggest clients. One of the things I have discussed with the Menteri Besar was how we can assist the state in achieving its information and communciations technology objectives,¡± he said.

Abdul Wahid said this includes plans to provide wireless Internet access for Ipoh and enlarging the broadband distribution for the whole state.

He said the company would continue its discussions with the state government officers to see how the objectives of Perak being a K-based state by 2010 can be best achieved.

Abdul Wahid also said the company¡¯s rebranding exercise has so far received positive feedback from its customers especially those making transactions at TM Point, formerly known as Kedai Telekom.

According to Abdul Wahid, the response received was that Telekom services are more efficient and customer friendly now.

¡°We will continue our efforts to increase this even further,¡± he added.

Full Telecommunication Coverage In Selangor By Year End
July 13, 2005 17:16 PM



SHAH ALAM, July 12 (Bernama) -- Selangor will be the first state in the country to have full telecommunication coverage, expected by the end of the year, State Infrastructure and Public Utilities Committee Chairman Datuk Abdul Fatah Iskandar said Tuesday.

Towards this end, he said more mobile phone base stations would be built in the state.

"Currently, the coverage in Selangor is about 70 per cent and we hope to expand the coverage to all areas in the state by the end of the year," he said at a press conference on a seminar on Telecommunication Radiation and Public Health, to be held on July 23.

The seminar, jointly organised by the state government and the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission, aims to enlighten the public on frequency radiation.

-- BERNAMA

Celcom Looking At Introducing Prepaid Plans For 3G
August 04, 2005 22:26 PM



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KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 (Bernama) -- Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd, a unit of Telekom Malaysia Bhd, is looking at the possibility of introducing prepaid plans for its third-generation (3G) services in the future, says its chief operating officer, Datuk Zubir A. Rasid.

However, he refused to elaborate.

"I can't tell you the exact date...what I can say is it is in the pipeline," he told reporters after the launch of reality TV show, "Celcom-Nokia 3G Mobile Apprentice" here Thursday.

Under the programme Celcom partners with Nokia Malaysia and ntv7 to bring a first on national television a reality TV show that would pit 10 teams against each other in a "real life" task-oriented race to the streets based on 3G technology.

The "Celcom-Nokia 3G Mobile Apprentice" will be showcased to audiences via four channels namely the Mobile Phone Portal, the website, street activities through demonstration booths and television coverage.

Zubir said that the programme's main objective is more on educating the public on 3G services and to attract plenty of customers to subscribe to Celcom's 3G services.

He said that the company also planned to expand its 3G coverage nationwide.

"It is not enough for coverage to be only in Johor Baharu, Penang and Kuala Lumpur, we plan to expand the coverage soon," he said.

At the moment, he said that its 3G services received encouraging response from the public, especially in the last two months.

-- BERNAMA

Malaysian Government to Sell More High-Speed Wireless Licenses
Updated : 04-08-2005
Media : Bloomberg
Story By : Stephanie Phang




(Bloomberg) -- Malaysia will offer more licenses to phone companies to provide high-speed Internet access and data and video transmission services on mobile telephones, the Communications and Multimedia Commission said today.

The move may allow companies such as Digi.Com Bhd., the smallest of Malaysia's three cellular-phone operators, to start offering so-called third-generation, or 3G services, to compete with rivals such as Telekom Malaysia Bhd., the country's largest telephone company. Telekom already holds a 3G license.

``The current positive trend in the rollout of 3G services worldwide, the availability of spectrum and the need to promote and sustain competition'' prompted the decision, the commission said in a statement released via Bernama PRWire today.

It would be the second time the commission is inviting bids for 3G licenses in three years. Malaysia first called for bids for three bandwidth frequencies that would allow companies to provide 3G services in February 2002. The 3G network can access the Internet more than 100 times faster than older networks and enable customers to conduct videoconferences on mobile phones.

Telekom Malaysia and Maxis Communications Bhd. won licenses in July that year, beating three other bidders for the licenses, which cost 50 million ringgit ($13.3 million) each. The two companies started offering 3G services commercially this year.

The communications commission, based in Cyberjaya outside Kuala Lumpur, announced plans to sell more licenses on its Web site on July 27, it said today.

Digi.Com plans to ``explore 3G opportunities'' as demand for high-speed services grows, Chief Executive Officer Morten Lundal said in May.

Malaysia's mobile-phone companies are betting high-speed services will provide new revenue sources as demand in the country slows. Almost half of the 26 million population already own handsets.

Celcom presents 'The Power of 3G'
FACES, August 2005



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Malaysia has finally moved into the third generation, the 3G era, producing wireless technology that gives you fast and easy connectivity.

Being mobile is what differentiates men, then and men, now. With everything going mobile and wireless, Malaysia has finally moved into the third generation, the 3G era, producing wireless technology that gives you fast and easy connectivity. And Celcom 3G enhances the mobility of your already mobile life.

Introduced to Malaysia in May, Celcom (Malaysia) Berhad was the country’s first mobile operator to launch 3G, providing customers with the capability to surf the net at 384 kilobits per second on their mobile phone, a speed 6 times faster than general packet roaming system or GPRS.

And if you think that’s a revolutionary by itself, there’s more to this technological genius. With Celcom 3G, customers can look forward to enjoying over 10 different applications, ranging from streaming TV and video on demand to innovative 3D Java games to up-to-the-minute stock quotes from Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur and all the way to Kulim.

Through Celcom 3G, six new and enhanced services (refer to sidebar) are being introduced to the existing ten different applications in its services. So, now Celcom 3G offers a host of services which are Comic, Game Craze, Instant Clips, Media Live, Live News, Sports, Travel, Video on Demand, M-Women, M-Health, Live Traffic, Financial, M-Education, Video Call, Video Mail and Music Station.

“For Celcom, being first is a good achievement. Even more important is the ability to add on new services and getting customers to realise, experience and utilise a whole new world of 3G mobile telephony,” said Encik Zalman Aefendy Zainal Abidin, Celcom’s Vice President of Marketing at the launch of the Celcom 3G service road show, which kicks off in Johor Bahru in mid-May.

SIM cards must now be upgraded as well, to the 3G enabled cards which will bring you to a whole new world of digital mobility. From then on, you can literally live without anything else but your mobile phone as it gives you live news from CNN, Bloomberg, etc. and you can also check latest real-time traffic report among others, so that you’ll never be late for anything by getting stuck in traffic again.

With 3G, say goodbye to those long, and endlessly boring wait for the bus or a date to arrive as you not only get to play with better downloadable Java games, you can even watch TV or better yet, with Celcom 3G, you can even stream full motion pictures and movie previews on your phone.

With 3G you’ll never be able to miss those important moments in life such as witnessing the birth of your child, talk face-to-face with those who are far away yet dear to your heart and lots more. There are endless possibilities to serve your digital needs with 3G and Celcom is aiming to provide the power of ‘True Communication’ all through your mobile phone when you’re on the go.

In Kuala Lumpur, the Celcom 3G services was officially launched by Y.A.B Datuk Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia at the Sunway Lagoon Resort Hotel on 17 May 2005, which coincidentally was also World Telecommunications Day. This saw a lot of on hand trial of the 3G capabilities such as when the Deputy Prime Minister spoke with the Chief Minister of Malacca, Y.A.B Datuk Mohd Ali Bin Mohd Rustam and the Menteri Besar of Johor Bharu Y.A.B. Dato'''' Haji Abdul Ghani Bin Othman using Celcom’s 3G video call.

The roadshow aims at the philosophy of “seeing is believing” and lets customers interact and learn about the various applications first hand in order for them to fully experience the 3G technology. Celcom 3G also offers faster transmission of information via text, digitalized voice, video mail and multimedia. That’s not all, as the mobile broadband service offers a data rate of up to 2Mbps, based on the Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) technology.

The key improvement of 3G over the existing 2G mobile communication services is that it supports faster transmission of information beyond voice. With 3G services, transmission of text, digitized voice, video and multimedia can now be performed at speeds of up to 384 Kbps and moving to 2 Mbps in the very near future.

Imagine what all these will mean. A portal to information, entertainment, and everything else at your finger tips – literally! With a seamless user experience, Celcom is able to deliver the same level of service range, quality, price and experience over the sheer ultimatum of two different networks – 3G and 2.5G or 2G.

“Celcom is proud to raise the bar of the mobile communications industry in our country by offering the 3G platform for the benefit of our customers. The launch of this next generation infrastructure ties in directly with our corporate goal to continue offering only the best to our customers,” said Y.Bhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Ir Muhammad Radzi Mansor, Chairman of Celcom (Malaysia) Berhad.

The people at Celcom have put in an intense period of preparation to ensure that they are ready for such an infrastructure.

“Additionally, we have also put focus into ensuring we are ‘people ready’, and that our customer service representatives and front-line employees are fluent with the services and able to articulate this new mobile experience to our customers,” said Y.Bhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Ir Muhammad Radzi.

Since its launching, the service has been made available in the Klang Valley, Penang, Johor Bharu, and Malacca. In addition to the mentioned places, Genting Highlands, Kulim Hi-Tech and Sungai Petani will also receive this service from Celcom.

To subscribe to Celcom’s 3G services, customers need to visit the 20 selected key dealers and 22 selected Celcom branches in the Central, Northern and Southern Regions.

Celcom postpaid 019 and 013 customers are among the first in Malaysia to enjoy the enhanced user experience and multimedia-rich personalization on their mobile phones. The new 3G infrastructure promises customers increased efficiency and improved performance of wireless networks.


SIX 3G SERVICES YOU CAN''''T LIVE WITHOUT!

1. Live News

Wherever you may be, you may never have to worry about not keeping abreast with current happenings with Live News. All you need is your 3G mobile phone and Celcom 3G and news from the most reliable sources and trusted dailies will be delivered to you at anytime, anywhere. Reputable dailies such as The Star and New Straits Times will be at your fingertips where else CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg and MyNews Network will ensure that you’ll always be in the know.

2. Video Mail

With this spanking new service, you never have to worry about missing a Video Call. When you’re unable to pick up a Video Call, your callers can always leave you a Video Mail which lets you see your callers as they leave you a message.

3. Music Station

Fancy carrying a jukebox around? With Celcom 3G, you can. It allows you to download your favourite songs with the quality of MP3s, all in one portal. So you get to listen to your favourite bands, singers and all your music whenever you feel like it!

4. Mobile Stock Live

Access real-time stock prices and perform stock market analysis on the go with the Mobile Stock Live service. Buy and sell share with a click on your mobile phone.

5. Video on Demand (Fashion TV and Sports)

It’s true that you can stream full motion pictures and movie previews on your mobile phone at anytime. There’s even a variety of categories to choose from such as action, comedy, lifestyle, glamour and local variety. But for fashion lovers out there, there’s even greater news for now, with Celcom 3G, you get to watch fashion news and shows via Fashion TV. Of course, they haven’t left out the sports fanatics. You can also stream sports video content light soccer highlights from the EPL and also boxing highlights. All these right on your mobile!

6. Online Games

Now there are more exciting and innovative 3D Java games that are accessible to you via Celcom 3G. The high-speed downloads give you better performance and you’ll have more fun in the gaming world with your mobile phone like never before!

MALAYSIA TO LAUNCH FIVE THIRD-GENERATION SATELLITES
Updated : 13-09-2005
Media : AFX



(XFN-ASIA) - Malaysia said it would launch five third-generation satellites from a site in the US as part of its ambitious plan to become a developed country in 2020 and to meet defence needs.

"Space is so important. Don't you think we should know what is happening up there? Everyone else is putting up their satellites," Jamaluddin Jarjis, minister of science, technology and innovation, said, according to Agence France-Presse.

"We are moving to become an advanced economy and communications is important to meet our economic needs. Now we are relying on other people's satellites. For security needs for instance, can we completely rely on other people's satellites?"

Jamaluddin said the first of the five satellites dubbed a "Razak Satellite", would be launched early next year. He declined to reveal the cost of launching all five satellites.

"I will be going to the US next week to inspect the launch site," he said.

Jamaluddin said the five satellites would be launched over a five-year period.

The third-generation satellites offer higher-resolution images. They provide specific and timely data for mapping departments in agricultural countries and geographical information for companies located near the equatorial belt.

"This (the satellites) is for the strategic needs of the country. For our economic and defence needs of our country, we must have our own capacity in space," Jamaluddin added.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi last month said Malaysia would push ahead to achieve Vision 2020, a goal set by his predecessor Mahathir Mohamad to achieve developed status by that year.

Towards this aim, Malaysia is developing a skilled workforce in fast-growing industries such as information technology and biotechnology.

M'sia Plans To Launch Five Satellites Starting With One Next Year
Updated : 13-09-2005
Media : Bernama



KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 (Bernama) -- Malaysia plans to launch five satellites over a period of five years with the first satellite expected to be launched early next year.

According to Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Jamaludin Mohd Jarjis, the first satellite would be mainly for scientific purposes.

Jamaludin is expected to visit the United States to see the progress of the satellite launcher by end of this week.

'Over the course of the term (five-year period), we will examine what kind of satellite we need to launch, the next (satellite) possibly for communication purposes. We will see the needs when the time approaches,' he said.

He, however declined to reveal the expected expenditure to be allocated by the government to commence space exploration and space programme over the specific period.

Jamaludin was speaking to reporters after witnessing the signing of an agreement between Akriz Sdn Bhd and Perak State government for Regional Aerospace Centre (RAC) project, here Tuesday.

He said the government would strive to develop its own resources and capacity in aerospace and welcome private sector initiative to develop this sector.

'But we have to bear in mind that we cannot emulate what US is doing and we need to develop our own Malaysia model so as to create maximum return that can benefit the country since we have limited resources,' he said.

He added that the Ministry planned to integrate four of its agencies under one specific body for greater pooling of resources.

These agencies are Malaysian Centre for Remote Sensing (MACRES), Meteorological Department, National Oceanography Directorate and Astronautic Technology Sdn Bhd (ATSB).

Huawei to use Malaysia as gateway to S-E Asia
Updated : 22-10-2005
Media : The Star
Story By : SHILING WOON IN BEIJING


CHINA telecommunications and networking equipment supplier Huawei Technologies Co Ltd plans to establish its inTouch lab experience centre in Malaysia in three years, said president of application and software product line, Nathee Che.

The key objective of setting up a inTouch lab in Malaysia is to make it a gateway for Huawei to expand its telecommunication business into South-East Asia,'' Che told StarBiz after the launch of the company's inTouch lab experience centre in Beijing on Tuesday.

The inTouch experience lab is a centre of innovation focused on connecting global carriers, content and service providers and application providers to customers and business partners. ¡§Strategies to further strengthen our business are being orientated to future development,'' noted Che.

The inTouch lab is a specialised centre to help boost Huawei's new development of data and voice value-added services, such as third generation (3G) and broadband services. The centre is segmented according to end-users. Each area would feature and demonstrate a variety of services that are relevant to consumers in a particular scenario.

We set up the lab based on a central concept of creating an experience for a better life,'' said Che. In addition, the company has developed the inTouch lab partnership plan, which provides a series of services for its business partners to fulfil customer demand.

It also provides ideas to help partners prepare for the launch of content, applications, terminals and terminal software.

Huawei will be also collaborating with its partners in marketing campaigns, research and development and service innovation,'' Che added.

President of the application and software marketing department, Haiping Che, said the company had evolved from a pure equipment manufacturer to an end-to-end integrated solutions provider.

Therefore, we hope to become a strategic partner to telecom operators globally as we go through an industry transformation and realignment,'' she said.

Currently, Huawei's business partners include Telekom Malaysia Bhd, Sunday in Hong Kong and Vodafone in Australia.

The company's telecommunication products and solutions are deployed in more than 90 countries.

Huawei recorded group revenue of US$5.58bil last year. The company's headquarters is located in Shenzen, China, and it employs 34,433 people.

JARING Expands Broadband, Phone Service Nationwide
October 22, 2005 15:32 PM

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KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 (Bernama) -- JARING dial-up subscribers can now switch over to high-speed Internet broadband service and JARING's MY015 Internet telephony system, as these services now cover the whole of Malaysia.

The broadband service gives consumers one megabits per second (Mbps) of speed, together with massive savings for its Internet-based telephone that makes and receives calls using the prefix 015 assigned to JARING, the company said in a statement here Saturday.

JARING's chief executive, Dr Mohamed Awang Lah, said that with the blanket nationwide broadband coverage, JARING was able to upgrade its current dial-up subscribers who have been waiting to convert to high-speed broadband and start using MY015 voice access.

"With the nationwide coverage, JARING is fulfilling its role to provide broadband service to all Malaysians and increasing the rate of broadband penetration throughout Malaysia," he said.

The monthly subscription fee for bundled broadband together with MY015 phone package starts from RM79 for home users and the public could purchase the package from all JARING re-sellers or Anjung JARING outlets or online through www.jaring.my.

JARING said that subscribers could also choose from several MY015 call plans which suit them best, such as Nationwide Call Plan priced at RM50 per month that allows unlimited, anytime calls to any fixed-line phone in Malaysia.

JARING Community Call Plan which allowed unlimited calls among MY015 subscribers worldwide is provided free for every MY015 line.

Meanwhile, for subscribers who need to make regular international calls, the International Call Plan was ideal at just RM150 per month, they would enjoy unlimited, anytime calls to any fixed-line phone in five countries (Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong and US).

For other off-net calls the rate was as low as 10 sen per minute.

During the promotional period until Dec 31, every subscriber would be provided with free modem and free subscription of up to five MY015 lines.

JARING is also offering a special package for wireless broadband services at RM99 per month.

Wireless broadband modem is offered at RM499 (one time payment) or RM25 per month instalment over 24 months.

JARING said that small and medium enterprise (SME) customers could also enjoy wired or wireless broadband at RM139 per month with free subscription of up to five MY015 lines.

The company launched its wireless broadband service with MY015 voice communications ability in December 2004.

JARING is the first nationwide Internet Service Provider in Malaysia with more than 80 point-of-presence (POP).

-- BERNAMA

First Locally-Made Mobile Phone For January 2006 Launch
Updated : 24-10-2005
Media : Bernama


KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 (Bernama) -- M.Mobile Sdn Bhd, the country's first mobile phone developer, expects to launch its first model in January 2006, according to its chief executive officer Zainudin Mohd Salleh.

He said the company has targeted to sell a total of 850,000 units of the mobile phone, to be known as M.Mobile, globally in the first year of its launch.

'We are targeting total sales worth US$2 billion in five years,' he told reporters at the inauguration ceremony of M.Mobile, here Monday.

The ceremony was officiated by Deputy Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor.

Zainudin said the company planned to introduce seven models in 2006 and this would be increased gradually to 50 models in 2010 with a projected sales increase from 850,000 units to 15 million units by that time.

The company, he added, planned to market the mobile phones worldwide, starting with West Asia, India and Russia.

Locally, the company would aim for seven percent market share by selling about 350,000 units of the mobile phone next year, Zainudin said.

He said prices for the locally developed mobile phones would range from RM550 to RM1,000.

As part of its marketing efforts, M.Mobile has appointed singer Asmawi Ani, popularly known as Mawi, the Akademi Fantasia third season winner, as its official brand ambassador for the mobile phones.

The company has also appointed VC Communications Sdn Bhd as the exclusive distributor for its products.

Initially, M.Mobile planned to spend about RM5 million on the advertising and promotion campaign for the mobile phones and the amount was expected to double in the next few years, Zainudin said.

M.Mobile, incorporated in May 2005, is an Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC)-status company which specialises in the research and development (R&D) of mobile communication solutions for the local and international markets.

According to Zainudin, the company has spent about RM10 million on R&D and the amount was expected to reach to RM40 million by the end of 2006. Besides looking for government grants, the company also planned to secure funding through the open market, he said.

'We are aiming for a listing in 2007,' he added.

Measat acquires satellite for RM264m
Updated : 11-11-2005
Media : The Edge


Measat Global Bhd is acquiring the Measat-1R spacecraft from Orbital Sciences Corporation to provide high-powered C and Ku-band capacity over Malaysia, Indonesia and the wider Asia-Pacific region for US$69.9 million (RM264.22 million).

The Measat-1R is an Orbital STAR-2 series satellite comprising of 12 Ku-Band and 12 C-Band transponders with an expected mission life of 15 years. It would replace Measat-1 and will be co-located with Measat-3 at the orbital location of 91.50E, the company said on Nov 11.

“Measat is experiencing strong demand for satellite services at our key 91.5°E orbital location,” said Measat director Tun Hanif Omar.

“With the Measat-1 satellite operating close to capacity, and strong demand in leasing capacity on the new Measat-3 satellite, we see a clear need to replace the Measat-1 satellite when it reaches end of life and provide expansion capacity for our Ku-Band services,” he said in a statement on Nov 11.

The Measat-1R C-band payload, providing a global single beam covering Eastern Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia, was been designed to support the next generation of telecommunications and video services, he said.

The Ku-band payload, with two focussed beams providing coverage over Malaysia and Indonesia, will support new Direct to Home (DTH) video and data services.

“The Measat 91.5°E orbital location is developing into one of the region’s premier satellite slots, with more than two million antennas now focused on the Measat-1 satellite,” Haniff said.

MEASAT - 3
SOURCE : new Measat-3 satellite (http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/space/bss/factsheets/601/measat3/measat3.html)

Celcom Will Offer 3G Services Nationwide By March 2006
Updated : 17-11-2005
Media : Bernama



KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 (Bernama) -- Celcom (http://www.celcom.com.my/cep/publichome/index.html) (Malaysia) Bhd will offer full coverage of its 3G services nationwide by March 2006, says its chief executive officer, Datuk Shazalli Ramly.

"I would like to announce that by March 2006, the largest content of 3G services will come from Celcom," he said at a press conference on the launch of extreme reality television show, "Fear Factor Malaysia" here Thursday.

Currently, Celcom 3G services are only available in the Klang Valley, Penang, Johor Baharu, Melaka, Genting Highlands, Kulim Hi-Tech Park and Sungai Petani.

Celcom 3G roaming is also available in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and Brunei.

The company is the country's first mobile operator to launch the 3G service, offering the widest mobile broadband coverage in Malaysia.

Shazalli said that Celcom hoped its 3G subscribers would increase significantly once the platform of 3G services is available throughout the country.

"Yes, we hope our 3G subscribers will increase significantly. But, it will be just a matter of time before 3G and its comprehensive range of services stand to become an essential component of our daily communications," he said.

He added that at the moment the 3G market in the country is largely untapped.

Shazalli also said that the company planned to introduce more content for its 3G services as part of its efforts to boost customer base.

To date, Celcom 3G has about 20,000 subscribers.

Maxis' new services target youth market
By Alfean Hardy, 06 Dec 2005 10:28 PM


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Maxis Communications Bhd hopes to boost its market share via the introduction of new services aimed at the potentially lucrative under-30 age group market, its head of prepaid marketing consumer market division general manager Chee Loo Fun said.

It hopes its newly-launched Voice SMS, Colour SMS and Gift Caller Ringtones, available for both its post-paid and pre-paid Hotlink subscribers, would allow it to tap into a youth market more receptive to fads and new services.

Voice SMS allows users to send short voice messages; Colour SMS allows for the sending of visual greetings in colour and Gift Caller Ringtones allows users to send their favourite ringtones to a friend, also via SMS.

Following a rollout of the new services on Dec 4, Voice SMS has already averaged over 100,000 messages per day, Colour SMS about 10,000 sent per day, and about 3,000 Gift Caller Ringtones sent and received.

Speaking to reporters in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 6 at the media launch of its new services, Chee said Maxis was offering value-added services to the youth market that she believes would take off “like wildfire with them”.

“As of the third quarter, we have 7.01 million subscribers of which 5.58 million are on prepaid. Of that (prepaid segment) about 50% of that base is below the age of 25.”

“We recognise this target segment is highly competitive because it is sizeable; there are about four million customers in the 20-year-old to 24-year-old segment and almost every one is targeting that market,” she added.

On growing Maxis’ market share from its current 40%, Chee said with the industry penetration rate according to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission already hitting 66% as of the third quarter, the potential to grow was there.

On the possible entry of at least another player in the 3G space, Chee said: “Our general feeling is we know that there will be at least one more operator and we have made plans for that. On the fourth operator, we have yet to get a feeling on the development of that.”

She said Maxis would be launching its 3G service in Penang this weekend.

MiTV (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=273109)'s planned foray into 3G well timed
By Ashwin Raman, 07 Dec 2005 7:46 PM


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From left: Mi3G project manager Johan Ragneved, MITV Corporation Sdn Bhd
chairman Datuk Rosman Ridzwan, 3G strategy consultant Tomi T Ahonen and
MiTV Corporation Sdn Bhd executive director Kenneth Chang


MiTV Corporation Sdn Bhd, which intends to list on Bursa Malaysia, believes that its planned foray into third generation (3G) is well timed as 3G handheld devices are expected to become more affordable by the middle of next year.

MiTV chairman Datuk Rosman Ridzwan said 3G mobile phones were expected to be mass produced next year, which would bring down prices.

He said the price of a low-end 3G mobile phone could be as low as a low-end second generation (2G) phone on the market now, which are averaging between RM500 and RM600.

MiTV, Malaysia’s second pay-TV service, is venturing into the 3G communications market through a new division of the company, Mi3G.

If awarded the licence, Mi3G’s commercial services would be launched in December 7, 2006, Rosman said.

He said the company was confident it would be awarded one of the two 3G licences up for grabs from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) next February.

Rosman said MiTV would continue to promote small and medium industries (SMIs) and aimed to have 60% of its 3G content and applications developed locally.

“This time, the licence should be awarded to a content-centric player instead of just the telcos. We would bring in a new change,” he told reporters after a media briefing on MiTV’s 3G strategy and planning in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 7.

Tomi Ahonen, an international author and consultant in the telecommunications industry, said MiTV’s advantage over the telcos with 3G licences was that it was a “greenfield” operator.

He explained that MiTV, unlike the telcos, did not have to upgrade its services and infrastructure from 2G to 3G. Ahonen was invited by MiTV to speak on the growth of the global 3G industry and mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs).

Rosman said MiTV intended to rapidly roll out its 3G network in a phased approach, covering urban areas and also prioritising areas not covered well by current mobile operators.

In a statement, MiTV said: "As the 3G business takes off, MiTV's shareholders intend to allocate a part of MiTV's enlarged share capital for Malaysian public subscription through a proposed initial public offering plan."

Rozman said the IPO would allow Malaysians to invest in the company’s third generation (3G) infrastructure. He said the proposed IPO was still in the planning stages and no deadline had been set.

It has been reported that MiTV’s 3G foray would cost up to RM1 billion over the next three years. Rosman said MiTV would fund the project through equity contributions, vendor financing and bank loans.

He added that MiTV’s largest shareholder, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, with his partners had committed RM400 million to the project.

Rosman said MiTV's MoU last week with REDtone Telecommunications Sdn Bhd, NasionCom Sdn Bhd and Cosway (M) Sdn Bhd towards working in partnership as MVNOs had generated interest from several local businesses.

On Mi3G’s pricing strategy, he said MiTV wanted to change the pricing model from "payment according to usage to payment for usage."

By creating simplicity in pricing, he said the company believed it would be a true driver of 3G communications and content in the Malaysian market.

Video on the move
Thursday December 8, 2005


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WITH technology, a lot of things are available literally at one's fingertips; even one's favourite music videos.

Local 3G content development company Bill Adam Associates has created Gstream.tv for people to access music videos they way they download ringtones.

The product was launched at MSC Central Incubator, Cyberjaya, recently. Research and development of the product was carried out at the Jtrend Laboratory jointly set up by Multimedia Development Corporation (MDC), Sun Microsystems and Multimedia University.

hief executive officer Amir Mohamed said the company was confident that the innovation would boost and revolutionise the local music scene.

“The product is riding on the 3G wave of mobile communication in Malaysia and the world.

“There are about 50,000 3G users in the country now. Although this is not a substantial number, it is estimated that 15% of the 16 million normal mobile phone users will convert to 3G by the end of next year. We are looking at a big market,” he said.

He added that in the near future, Gstream would not be providing only music video clips, but also news and other information. “It’s a TV channel for mobile phone users,” he stressed.

Bill Adam Associates president Mohd Taufik Abdullah said contents downloaded could not be transferred to other cellphones with the use of Digital Right Management (DRM).

“The DRM was specifically developed by our team to protect the contents available through Gstream.tv.

“With that, many recording companies are willing to work with us, and we are now in communication with several content owners in the UK,” he added.

Also present at the launch were Sun Microsystems managing director Cheam Tat Inn and rap artiste Shazzy, whose music video is featured on Gstream.tv. The videos are available at www.gstream.tv

TM to provide broadband access to housing project
Updated : 09-12-2005
Media : The Star
Story By : Chan Ching Thut


TELEKOM Malaysia Bhd (http://www.telekom.com.my/) (TM) yesterday signed a collaboration agreement with TH Properties Sdn Bhd for the provision of smart township solutions to @enstek, an integrated development in Negri Sembilan.

TH Properties chief executive officer Syed Mohamed Ibrahim said the collaboration would commence when TH Properties launches its next project by the fourth quarter of next year.

The project will cover more than 200 acres of mixed residential development, he told reporters after signing the agreement in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. TM Wholesale chief operating officer Datuk Baharum Salleh signed on behalf of the company. The signing was witnessed by TM group chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar and TH Properties chairman Datuk Azizan Abdul Rahman.

Both parties did not disclose the investment value of the collaboration.

'We have not identified the investment in great detail. We are just exploring what we can do at the moment.

'We are estimating that the telecommunication infrastructure cost for the smart township solution at not more than what we have spent in the past,” Syed Mohamed said.

TM will provide the township with communication infrastructure of higher bandwidth capacity, including fixed and wireless connections to support unlimited broadband applications.

'The project represents an new opportunity to work with housing developers, allowing faster delivery of infrastructure and making telecommunication or information communication technology infrastructure such as broadband as ubiquitous as water and electricity,” Baharum said.

With the infrastructure and applications, both residents and business tenants at @enstek can subscribe to a host of broadband services such as remote monitoring of their homes. The smart home solution enables homeowners to monitor their house from anywhere, such as controlling electrical appliances and also detecting unauthorised access inside the house.

So far, TM has invested more than RM1mil to provide the service to the existing homes at @enstek.

@enstek is a multi-billion ringgit integrated township on 5,116 acres in Negri Sembilan featuring industrial, commercial, residential and institutional properties.

The project is scheduled for completion in 2025 and has a gross development value (GDV) of about RM7bil.

Telekom Tower and the new rising up!

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DiGi, MTV Asia launch WAP portal for youth
Updated : 10-12-2005
Media : The Star


DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd, in partnership with MTV Asia, launched yesterday Malaysia's first merchant WAP portal - MTV Powerpack Merchant Discounts - that will host retailers whose products and services will be offered at discounts.

All DiGi MTV Powerpack customers have to do is to download the merchant's discount wallpaper from the WAP portal onto their mobile phones and flash them at any of the participating merchant outlets. With that, customers enjoy on-the-spot discounts from the finest stores, clubs, restaurants and fashion houses, the company said in a statement.

With the addition of more relevant youth branded goods, the company hoped to attract more DiGi MTV Powerpack subscribers demanding services in line with their lifestyles and interests, it said.

Chief marketing officer Chee Pok Jin said: The youth is a very important market and one of our core segments. It's a great challenge to create new and exciting services for a generation that epitomises style, and are exacting in their demand for exclusivity and quality.''

Maxis going for aggressive expansion of 3G sites in Malaysia


MAXIS Communications Bhd, which has to date invested RM400 million in rolling out its 3G (third-generation wireless communication technology) service coverage in the Klang Valley and Penang, is looking at committing more capital expenditure via an aggressive expansion of 3G sites in the country.

We will not slow down and hopes to expand the availability of 3G beyond just the Klang Valley, Penang and Johor Baru by 2007, Maxis head of 3G and wireless Communications Dr Nikolai Dobberstein told a media briefing in Penang yesterday in conjunction with the expansion of the company's 3G service coverage to the state.

With more than 500 sites in the Klang Valley and 120 each in Penang and Johor Baru by early next year, Maxis customer will soon enjoy the largest and performing 3G network in the country, he said.

Of Maxis more than 7 million customers nationwide, 22,000 comprise active 3G users.

Dobberstein, who declined to reveal new investment figures for 3G's expansion activities in 2006, also said that Maxis would further evolve its 3G offerings by making available the High Speed Data Packet Access service by the middle of next year.

Telekom Tower and the new rising up!

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/3159/459958042zj.jpg

yay!! one more tower to go!! nice to see the other 2 Cygal completed.

TM enters Egypt
By Joseph Chin, 12 Dec 2005 8:36 AM


Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) has ventured into Egypt through a partnership with Egypt-based Raya Telecom, a telecommunications and IT company in the Middle East, to set up an Internet Protocol (IP) network infrastructure in that country.

The partnership, the agreement for which was signed in Cairo last Saturday, will see the establishment of an international virtual private network (VPN) using multi-protocol label switching (MPLS), the latest telecommunications technology set up in Egypt.

TM group chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar said the tie-up with Raya Telecom and the provision of IP VPN services in Egypt marked TM’s first significant presence to cater to a high volume of IP traffic destined to the North African market.

“This partnership will offer a direct superhighway, riding on the latest MPLS, bridging the two nations in our earnest efforts to stimulate the business and technology interests between the two key regions,” he said in a statement late on Dec 9.

Wahid said communications destined for Asia would no longer have to traverse other continents. He said the collaboration offered a fully secure and robust global IP VPN network to businesses in Africa and Asia.

“TM and Raya Telecom present Asia to Egypt’s doorstep, just at the touch of a button,” he added.

Prior to this, companies in Egypt were connected to their Asian branches either via Internet protocol leased circuit (IPLC) telephony, the Internet or a VPN to Asia passing through Europe.

TM said with MPLS, companies in Egypt would be able to communicate more efficiently in a secure environment. The companies will also for the first time be able to conduct secure data exchange and direct video conferencing with their offices in Asia.

The companies can also have the flexibility in managing their own network by customising the service to match their exact desired performance level at the right cost.

Raya Telecom managing director Mohammad Fares said the partnership offered a reliable, fast, cost-effective and secure connectivity alternative to businesses in Egypt. He said it improved business efficiency and eliminated the problems associated with data security, data delay and high cost.

TM said the partnership was sealed after an extensive study on telecom companies in Egypt which resulted in the choosing of Raya Telecom based on its advanced network, large corporate client base, experience and professionalism.

With operations now in 12 countries, TM said it would continue to look for avenues to expand its point of presence and to sustain growth in both the local and international markets.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that TM had sold its 60% stake in Guinea’s largest telephone company Societe de Telecommunications de Guinee (Sotelgui). TM paid US$45 million (RM169.64 million) for the stake in 1995.

Quoting Telecommunications Minister Jean Claude Sultan, the report said TM had agreed to leave Sotelgui amicably.
Sotelgui has around 150,000 subscribers versus a mere 8,000 for its nearest competitor Intercel and 5,000 for third operator Spacetel.

Telekom gets Measat job
Updated : 16-12-2005
Media : Business Times


ASTRO All Asia Networks plc's wholly-owned subsidiary, Measat Broadcast Network Systems Sdn Bhd, has entered into a contract worth RM6.2 million with Telekom Malaysia Bhd.

The contract is to develop an intersite communication services, a high speed bandwidth communications link, between All Asia Broadcast Centre in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, and Measat Teleport Broadcast Centre, a back-up facility in Cyberjaya (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=6629029#post6629029).

The intersite communication services is expected to support and enhance Astro's services.

The contract, which is expected to commence in the second quarter of 2006, will be for an initial term of three years and may be extended by mutual agreement.

TM keen on India
By Cindy Tham, 16 Dec 2005 9:20 PM


Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) wants to expand to India and it is reviewing all its available investment options, to see how they can fit the sub-continent into their current investment strategy.

“Investing in India would also complement TM International’s South Asian investment in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan,” said TM International Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Yusof Annuar Yaacob in an email reply to FinancialDaily .

“We are reviewing all available options in respect of our investment strategy in India. We wish to state that TM has always had great confidence in the potential of the Indian market and this is definitely a market TM would like to be in, through its investment holding arm, TM International,” he added.

However, he neither confirmed nor denied wire reports that they were in talks to acquire a stake in Aircel Televentures Ltd in a deal estimated to cost some US$700 million (RM2.64 billion).

Bloomberg and Dow Jones reported on Dec 16 that Aircel was in talks for a strategic partnership with TM and Maxis Communications Bhd.

The reports quoted the Economic Times , which cited unnamed industry sources and said the deal was estimated to cost some US$700 million. Maxis is believed to be the front runner to clinch the deal, it said, adding that an announcement was likely early next week.

Aircel Televentures owns Aircel Ltd, the largest mobile phone service provider in Tamil Nadu, as well as Aircel Cellular Ltd, the second largest mobile phone operator in Chennai.

Telekom Malaysia buys stake in Thai Samart group
Updated : 23-12-2005
Media : Reuters
Story By : Khettiya Jittapong and Saranya Suksomkij


BANGKOK, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Thai telecoms group Samart Corp PCL (SAMA.BK: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Friday it sold a 24.42 percent stake in its mobile phone distribution unit to TM International Sdn Bhd, an oversees investment unit of Telekom Malaysia (TLMM.KL: Quote, Profile, Research) .

The deal, which sent Samart shares up to 11-month high, would strengthen Samart's business as the group had an ambitious plan to tap mobile handset markets elsewhere in Asia, chief executive Thavatchai Vilailuck told Reuters.

Samart, which is 19.24-percent owned indirectly by Telekom Malaysia, said it had diluted its 73.02-percent stake in Samart I-Mobile PCL (SIM.BK: Quote, Profile, Research) (SIM), to 48.6 percent after the 1.31 billion baht ($32 million) transaction.

Samart said in a statement it sold 105 million SIM shares at 12.50 baht each and would keep its management role in the company.

The sale came just two weeks after Malaysia's dominant fixed-line provider sold its 60-percent stake in Guinea's largest telephone firm as part of plan to focus on markets close to home.

At 0425 GMT, Samart shares were up 1.3 percent at 7.9 baht after rising as high as 8.0 baht, their highest since January. SIM shares were 1.6 percent higher at 12.80 baht, while the overall Thai stock market was up 0.3 percent.

Telekom Malaysia shares rose 1.1 percent to 9.60 ringgit.

Thavatchai said SIM planned to tap mobile handset markets in Indonesia, Bangladesh and India next year.

In a separate statement, Samart said it would sell all its 49-percent stake in Cambodia Samart Communication, which operates mobile phone service in Cambodia, for $29 million to TM.

Thavatchai said Samart would receive 2.5 billion baht from the stake sales and book a 1.5-1.6 billion baht gain in the first quarter of 2006. The proceeds would be used for working capital and to repay debt.

Samart also had a contract with Telekom Malaysia to buy back its own shares held by the Malaysian firm, Thavatchai said, but he did not expected that to happen anytime soon.

Samart is keen to invest in the power business and expected to finalise its plans early next year, he said.

A company source said Samart was seeking a licence to build a power plant in Cambodia and considering several options, including finding a partner or doing it alone.

Samart offers telecom-related services ranging from systems installation, Internet and mobile phone distribution to providing information vis multimedia services. SIM is the group's largest revenue contributor. ($1=40.94 Baht)

TM to sell HQ for RM70m
30 Dec 2005 9:20 PM


Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) has proposed to sell its 25-storey headquarters Wisma TM in Kuala Lumpur for RM70 million and buy a building nearby for RM92.30 million.

TM said on Dec 30 that it had concluded an understanding with a non-related third party to sell Wisma TM along Jalan Pantai Baharu for RM70 million.

The estimated net floor area of the office tower is 223,211 sq ft (excluding usable area at the podium estimated at 29,495 sf) and 241 parking bays.

Meanwhile, TM also entered into a sales and purchase agreement with Cygal Development Sdn Bhd and Ital-Pacific Development Sdn Bhd to purchase the 33-storey Tower 2, Plaza Cygal along Lengkok Pantai Baharu for RM92.30 million.

The Tower 2 has 296 car park bays. The estimated total net floor area of Tower 2 is 280,643 sq. ft.

TM had announced on March 2 that it had entered into a sales and purchase agreement with Cygal and Ital for the purchase of a 20-office tower known as Tower 1, Plaza Cygal for RM65.8 million. The estimated net usable total area of Tower 1 is 188,123 sq. ft.

“In line with TM's strategic direction to rationalise and streamline all its business activities, both Towers 1 and 2, which are located adjacent to TM's headquarters, Menara TM are to be occupied mainly by TM Group,” it said.

Tower 1 is currently fully occupied by TM Group's centralised Customer Relationship Management (CRM)/Call Centre operations and the newly aligned TM Wholesale Division.

Tower 2 would accommodate various business units, currently renting from third parties as well as backroom operational units to be relocated from Menara TM and Wisma TM.

“This measure would not only reduce rental expense of the Group, it would also vacate prime lettable space at Menara TM to cater for the strong demand from international companies as well as consolidating operational business units closer to Menara TM. Menara TM is fully occupied with a ratio of 45% (external tenants) and 55% (TM Group of Companies),” it said.

TM has also initiated efforts to “securitise” its non-core real properties and this will include future properties to be acquired.

Maxis, partner buy India mobile operator
By CHONG POOI KOON
December 31 2005

http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BT/Saturday/Frontpage/20051231002512/Article/Current_News/BT/Images/dailyn/tamil.jpg


MAXIS Communications Bhd and a partner will pay about RM4.1 billion to buy Indian mobile phone operator Aircel Ltd, giving it a foothold in one of the world’s fastest-growing mobile markets.

The deal will be the largest investment by a Malaysian firm in India and highlights Maxis’ ambition to expand overseas after its investment in Indonesia.

Malaysian mobile phone firms are looking for opportunities abroad because growth in the country is slowing down.

More than two-thirds of Malaysia’s 25 million people already have handphones. This compares with India’s mobile penetration rate of about 6 per cent and Indonesia’s 15 per cent.

“This will be a major step towards boosting Maxis’ growth and sustaining profitability,” chairman Tan Sri Megat Zaharuddin said in a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Chief executive officer Datuk Jamaludin Ibrahim said Aircel is one of the few companies in the region that meet all its financial and strategic investment criteria.

“We see Aircel emerging as a major national player in India and contributing significantly to Maxis’ subscriber, revenue and profit growth,” he said.

Maxis is teaming up with the Chennai-based Reddy family to form a joint-venture company for the deal, which will be paid for in cash and debt.

Maxis will hold 26 per cent of the joint venture and the Reddy family, 74 per cent.

Maxis will then hold a 65 per cent direct stake in Aircel, while the joint venture will own the balance.

Maxis and the joint venture will invest US$1.08 billion (US$1 = RM3.78) to buy all of Aircel’s shares. Initially, Maxis will inject US$280 million cash into Aircel.

Maxis will then buy 39 per cent of Aircel for US$422 million, while the joint venture will buy another 35 per cent for US$378 million.

Effectively, Maxis will have 74 per cent stake in Aircel, the maximum allowed by the Indian Government in a telco. It expects to complete the purchase in April next year.

Aircel is the number one mobile operator in the southern state of Tamil Nadu — one of the most affluent and industrially advanced states in India.

It has 2.2 million subscribers in Tamil Nadu and Chennai, and only 10 per cent of Tamil Nadu’s population of 65 million own a mobile phone.

With 12 circles in operation by the end of next year, Aircel will provide Maxis with a near national platform with access to a market of more than half of India’s total population.

The number of subscribers in India is expected to grow between two and three times from the current 67 million.

Aircel is expected to contribute to Maxis’ earnings as early as the third year of acquisition.

Maxis also intends to float the Indian firm at an “appropriate time”.

“Technically, it can be listed anytime, (it is a question of) just when is the best time,” Jamaludin said.

Intersputnik and Industrial Scientists Consortium of Malaysia agree to cooperate in launching and jointly operating a telecommunications satellite
Source : News (http://www.intersputnik.com/press_051216.htm)

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (December 16, 2005) - the Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications and Industrial Scientists Consortium SDN. BHD. (ISC) will establish a working group to elaborate a plan for the procurement and geostationary orbital launch of a telecommunications satellite to be jointly used for commercial operation as well as for the purpose to make offer to the government of Malaysia to develop and improve national telecommunications infrastructure.

The parties agreed to set up this working group during the visit of Intersputnik's official delegation to Kuala Lumpur to attend Business Forum Russia - ASEAN. In the course of a bilateral meeting, Intersputnik Director General Vadim Belov and Dr. Mohd Radzi Latif, Executive Director of Industrial Scientists Consortium, signed an agreement on cooperation for the implementation of this project. Under the agreement the parties will define the optimum form of their cooperation ranging from the delivery of the satellite by Intersputnik for further joint use to the establishment of a joint venture that will own and operate the satellite.

To put this agreement into practice, Intersputnik and ISC will sign contracts to define the technological and commercial aspects of cooperation. Intersputnik has requisite experience in coordinating and integrating international projects related to the procurement, launch and operation of telecommunications satellites and has well-established cooperative relations with the leading Russian and international manufacturers of satellite systems. Therefore Intersputnik will be responsible for the selection of a satellite system manufacturer with a view to executing a contract for the manufacture of the satellite and delivery of the ground tracking, telemetry and control system. Intersputnik also will hold negotiations with a major GSO launch service provider regarding the injection of the satellite into the required orbital slot. In this connection Intersputnik agreed to offer for joint use its frequency/orbital resource at one of the GSO positions assigned to the Organization by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and about to be fully coordinated.

Considering that Intersputnik is an international provider of satellite capacity and satellite telecommunications services, has a high commercial potential, a wide distribution network and thirty years of professional experience in the field of satellite telecommunications, ISC also expressed its willingness to sign with Intersputnik an agreement on joint marketing and sales of the planned telecommunications satellite. Besides, Intersputnik and ISC are going to look into the possibility of implementing other satellite communications projects including joint provision of multiservice packages in domestic, regional and international networks.

Founded in 1971 under the intergovernmental agreement on the establishment of an international system and organization of satellite communications, Intersputnik is an international intergovernmental organization headquartered in Moscow, Russia. The Organization's mission is to contribute to the strengthening and development of economic, scientific, technical and cultural relations by communications as well as by radio and television broadcasting via satellites; cooperation and coordination of efforts of the member-countries in designing, establishing, operating and developing an international satellite communications system. Intersputnik can be joined by the government of any state which shares the Organization's principles of activity. Today, Intersputnik has 25 member countries.

Intersputnik provides integrated communication services to broadcasters, telecom operators and corporate customers via the LMI-1 satellite of the Lockheed Martin Intersputnik joint venture as well as Russian Express-A and Express-AM series satellites. The Organization is an official distributor of satellite resources and services of the European satellite operator Eutelsat in the territory of Russia and the CIS. It also markets and sells Gascom's satellite capacity in the international market. In cooperation with its authorized partners, Intersputnik offers full-scale services to establish regional and international satellite communications networks. Intersputnik's customers are government and private companies in over forty countries.
www.intersputnik.com

DiGi to invest RM1b in telecoms infrastructure
By SEAN AUGUSTIN
January 14 2006



DIGI Telecommunications Sdn Bhd plans to spend close to RM1 billion in telecommunication infrastructure this year as it continues to be aggressive in growing its coverage nationwide.

The investment is somewhat similar to what DiGi had pumped in last year.

Its chief technology officer Johan Abdullah said by the end of the year, it plans to cover 80 per cent of the East Coast.

In Terengganu, coverage is available in six places including Hulu Paka, Felda, Guntung and Jenagur while in Kelantan, coverage is available in Dabong, Ulu Kusial and Olak Jeram.

The company plans to expand coverage in Kelantan in areas such as Chetok and Alor Pasir in Pasir Mas and Temangan.

Johan is bullish of DiGi’s prospects in the East Coast.

“We have products relative to Kelantan and Terengganu.

“People here want a simple product they understand and that is our edge. We believe we are the more innovative network,” he said.

To capture the large Malay Muslim community market in the two states, the telecommunications company is more than prepared especially with its Rentaq WAP (wireless application protocol), in particular the ‘Santapan Rohani’.

This feature contains Islamic contents such as Solat information, daily prayer and ‘Muhasabah’.

“You will see this feature grow. What we are doing is communicating with the community,” he said, adding that DiGi did not have a large Muslim segment before.

“We have been innovative for years and there is no reason to stop doing so,” he added.

Nokia, Digi (http://www.digi.com.my/) Tie Up to Offer Mobile-Phone Gaming in Malaysia
Updated : 20-01-2006
Media : Bloomberg
Story By : Soraya Permatasari


http://www.theedgedaily.com/cms/storage/images/com.tms.cms.image.Image_e2ee30e6-cb73c03a-64160e00-3bfbfe75/1/DiGi_Cover_inside.jpg

DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd chief marketing officer Chee Pok
Jin (standing 3rd from left) with Nokia's multimedia business director for
Southeast Asia Pacific, Dolly Chin at the launch


(Bloomberg) -- Digi.Com Bhd., the smallest of Malaysia's three-mobile phone operators, signed an agreement with Nokia Oyj to start an online service that allows users to play interactive games on mobile phones.

The service will allow users of Nokia handsets to play games against other mobile-phone users, Digi and Espoo, Finland-based Nokia, the world's largest mobile-phone maker, said in e-mailed statements. It will also allow interactive gaming between users of mobile phones and computers, the companies said.

Kuala Lumpur-based Digi competes with Maxis Communications Bhd. and Telekom Malaysia Bhd. in Malaysia's telecommunications industry, which had 21 billion ringgit ($5.6 billion) of combined sales at the end of 2004. All three operators are offering more services, including high-speed wireless, to woo customers in a nation where 63 percent of the population of 26 million already own mobile phones.

``Immediately upon commercialization, Malaysian gamers can use their mobiles to play simultaneously with potentially thousands of others across the world using their Nokia handsets or PC,'' Chee Pok Jin, DiGi's chief marketing officer, said in the statement.

The service will support handsets including Nokia's N-Gage, N-Gage QD, N6630, 6680, 6681, 6600, 6670, and 7610, Digi said.

Digi increased its mobile-phone customer base by about 440,000 to almost 4.2 million during the third quarter. Mobile revenue rose 39 percent as its customer base expanded 49 percent from a year earlier, it said on Oct. 26.

That compares with Telekom's net subscribers that rose 3.3 percent in the third quarter from the second quarter, boosting its subscriber base to 6.34 million from 6.14 million. Maxis had 7 million users.

TMNet once again the best broadband service, Wi-Fi hotspots
24 Jan 2006 3:43 PM


TMNet Sdn Bhd (http://www.tm.net.my/) has been selected by PC.Com readers for four consecutive years as the best broadband internet service provider for its streamyx service and the best Wi-Fi hotspot operator at the recent 6th PC.Com awards in Kuala Lumpur recently.

"The awards serve as a visible commendation by readers of PC.Com that TM Net is on the right track to enriching customers' experiences by our responsive phased nationwide coverage," said TM Net chief executive officer, Michael Lai.

He said for 2006, TM Net planned to upscale its hotspot areas and create broadband lifestyle centres in key market areas as part of the company's initiative to be a ubiquitous broadband service provider.

Lai said TM Net's strategy for the year was based on the four Cs principles - connectivity, content, communications and customers.

TM, Vodafone in strategic tie-up
24 Jan 2006 5:57 PM

Vodafone (http://www.vodafone.com), Telekom Malaysia to Form Partnership on Branding

Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) is enhancing its regional and global presence with the establishment of a strategic partnership between the company and Vodafone.

The partnership will see co-branding arrangements between Vodafone and TM¡¦s subsidiaries - Dialog Telekom of Sri Lanka, PT Excelcomindo Pratama of Indonesia and Celcom (M) Bhd.

The parties will ink the deal at a signing ceremony to be held in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 25.

TM will be represented by TM chief executive officer, Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar, while Vodafone will be represented by its group director, business development, Devin Broughman.

Vodafone is a well-known international mobile telecommunications provider that has over 100 million customers, with equity interests in 27 countries and partner networks in another 27 countries.

Minister of Energy, Water and Communications Datuk Seri Lim Keng Yaik and TM chairman Tan Sri Md Radzi Mansor will witness the signing ceremony.

mTouche, M-Mode to develop mobile games
25 Jan 2006 5:25 PM


http://www.theedgedaily.com/cms/storage/images/com.tms.cms.image.Image_debc8f00-cb73c03a-b113c700-15536f36/1/mMode_mTouche_inside.jpg

M-Mode chairman and managing director Lim Thean Keong
with mTouche CEO Eugene Goh


mTouche Technology Bhd has formed an alliance with M-Mode Bhd (http://www.m-mode.com.my/info/happenings.htm) to develop and provide mobile games to the growing mobile games market.

mTouche will market and distribute M-Mode’s existing mobile games and applications in its countries of operations. Thereafter, mTouche will jointly develop new mobile games with M-Mode.

In a statement on Jan 24 after the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two in Kuala Lumpur, mTouche said it was a forerunner and leader in the mobile messaging technologies and interactive media applications in the Greater China, Europe, North Asia and South-East Asia regions.

M-Mode is a mobile content provider, providing a wide variety of mobile content including mobile games. Through its joint venture with Dalian Dreamfun Digital Technology Co Ltd, it has immediate access to develop mobile games in China.

mTouche said the tie-up enabled mTouche to ride on the mobile games provided by M-Mode while M-Mode would benefit from mTouche’s established market presence.

“The prospects of the mobile gaming market is bright and promising, especially in China. The recent acquisition of a Chinese game developer – M Dream by Monstermob of UK for up to US$35M provides a strong indication of the growth potential of the mobile gaming industry in China,” said Eugene Goh, chief executive officer of mTouche.

Siemens to implement DiGi 3G network system
27 Jan 2006 8:28 PM


DiGi.Com Bhd unit DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd has executed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Siemens Malaysia Sdn Bhd for the implementation of its third generation (3G) network system.

Digi said on Jan 27 the LOI expressed desire to engage Siemens for the works which include full turnkey but not limited to the design, supply, delivery, installation, testing, commissioning, maintenance and support for the system, functionality and managed services for operation.

DiGi had on Nov 11 last year submitted a bid to the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission for one of the 3G spectrum blocks.

It said in the event that its bid is successful, the commencement of the works from the date of the LOI would enable DiGi to roll out certain value-added services to the market in a timely manner.

TM to sell stake in Telekom Networks Malawi
27 Jan 2006 7:26 PM


Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) is selling its entire 60% stake in Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) to Econet Wireless Global for US$24.5 million (RM91.88 million).

In a statement on Jan 27, TM said the sale included all outstanding claims as well as consideration for the equity component.

The sale is being effected through the acquisition by Econet of Tess International, a wholly owned subsidiary of TM.

TNM was established in 1996 as a joint venture between TM and government-backed Malawi Telecommunications Ltd (MTL), with MTL holding the remaining 40%.

TNM operates a GSM service under a licence valid until 2014.

In early 2005, TM officially said that it had initiated exit plans from Malawi through TMI, as part of a broader reorientation of its international investment strategy to focus on geographic regions closer to home.

The first part of that strategy was illustrated by the sale of its investment in Telkom SA in the second half of 2004 (duly completed in November 2004), to be followed by its other African interests in Malawi as well as Guinea.

TM Net introduces entry-level streamyx
By Isabelle Francis, 24 Feb 2006 9:13 PM


TM (http://www.telekom.com.my/) Net Sdn Bhd hopes to strengthen its position as a broadband provider with the introduction of a new entry-level broadband package (with or without modem) for home users, the tmnet streamyx 384k, said its chief executive officer, Michael Lai.

In a statement on Feb 24, Lai said the package, which is offered at a minimal charge of RM20 for 10 hours of monthly Internet usage, was instrumental in placing broadband within reach of more Malaysians and drive TM Net to emerge as the Broadband choice for Malaysians.

The entry-level tmnet streamyx basic 384k aims to encourage dial-up users to upgrade to broadband. This entry-level package is designed to give our subscribers the high-speed connection that is within their budget.

With broadband, they can surf and e-mail at more than five times the speed of dial-up. This will free up their phone lines to make and receive calls, Lai continued.

He added that TM Net now had over 500,000 broadband customers and 1.9 million dial-up customers nationwide.

Additional usage beyond the first 10 hours will be charged five sen per minute.

There would be an additional charge of RM5 monthly for modem rental, which comes with a 24-month warranty.

The new low-cost broadband package allows home users to connect to the Internet on an average of 2.5 hours per week without cost of the call, which equates to less than 70 sen daily.

TM, Vodafone in strategic tie-up
24 Jan 2006 5:57 PM

Vodafone (http://www.vodafone.com), Telekom Malaysia to Form Partnership on Branding

Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) is enhancing its regional and global presence with the establishment of a strategic partnership between the company and Vodafone.

The partnership will see co-branding arrangements between Vodafone and TM¡¦s subsidiaries - Dialog Telekom of Sri Lanka, PT Excelcomindo Pratama of Indonesia and Celcom (M) Bhd.

The parties will ink the deal at a signing ceremony to be held in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 25.

TM will be represented by TM chief executive officer, Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar, while Vodafone will be represented by its group director, business development, Devin Broughman.

Vodafone is a well-known international mobile telecommunications provider that has over 100 million customers, with equity interests in 27 countries and partner networks in another 27 countries.

Minister of Energy, Water and Communications Datuk Seri Lim Keng Yaik and TM chairman Tan Sri Md Radzi Mansor will witness the signing ceremony.


There was an article on the "Malaysian Business Magazine" speculated that Vodafone was interested on one of the 2 Malaysian 3G spectrum licences, being awarded by the gahmen. Any update on this?

I use Vodafone here in Australia, I've been most please with them after switching from Singtel Optus, Vodafone have an amazing product.

WTF?!?!?!?! :eek:

TTDotcom, MiTV get 3G licences


PETALING JAYA: Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has awarded 3G licences to TTDotcom Sdn Bhd and MiTV Corporation Sdn Bhd.

DiGi Telecommunuications Sdn Bhd, one of three applicants for the two licences up for grabs, was not successful in its bid for 3G spectrum.



:? :? :? :? :?

I really dun understand how those 2 got it and not DiGi ?!?!?!

:wtf:
Maybe because majority DiGi shares is owned by foreigners ?? .How can a loss-making isp and a tv station company beat DiGi as the most exciting telco in Malaysia ?? I'm so disappointed with MCMC decision and the minister (U know who i'm referring to) :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2:

what's TTDotcom??

what's TTDotcom??

TTDotcom = TIME dotCom

http://www.time.com.my/

TTDotcom = TIME dotCom

http://www.time.com.my/

thanks 4 the info. didn't know there was a short form for it :bash:

WTF?!?!?!?! :eek:

TTDotcom, MiTV get 3G licences


PETALING JAYA: Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has awarded 3G licences to TTDotcom Sdn Bhd and MiTV Corporation Sdn Bhd.

DiGi Telecommunuications Sdn Bhd, one of three applicants for the two licences up for grabs, was not successful in its bid for 3G spectrum.



:? :? :? :? :?

I really dun understand how those 2 got it and not DiGi ?!?!?!

Did the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, explain why they picked TTdotcom and MiTV? Why DiGi was not chosen?

MiTV and Digi are affiliated with the Berjaya group, it was suprising that both
companies were competing against each other.

right now berjaya is not the majority shareholder in digi and they involved in different business.mitv is doing tv broadcasting and digi is doing mobile telecommunication service.of course they are competing each other to get the 3g spectrum.i don't know why mitv is asking for 3g license.they want to broadcast tv to homes using 3g ??? :sleepy:

Malaysia's Jaring (http://www.jaring.my/) to combine with TIME dotCom -source


KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 (Reuters) - Khazanah, Malaysia's state investment arm and parent of TIME dotCom Bhd (TCOM.KL: Quote, Profile, Research), is preparing to combine the telecommunications firm with unlisted broadband provider Jaring Communications, a source said on Wednesday.

The combination of the two state-controlled companies comes in response to the Malaysian government's call for the local telecommunications industry to consolidate, added the source, who is familiar with the deal but who asked not to be named.

"It's happening already," said the source, referring to the decision to join the companies. "It was an instruction from the government. We're working through the details. It's not a question of when, or even if it will happen."

Citing unnamed sources, the Star newspaper reported on Wednesday that Jaring was expected to buy TIME dotCom's assets for about 500 million ringgit ($134 million). But the source did not provide financial details of the transaction to Reuters.

TIME dotCom on Wednesday confirmed it was in discussions with Jaring and its parent, MIMOS Bhd.

"At this juncture, there are no significant developments or conclusions that warrant an announcement. We are, however, unaware of Jaring's intention to buy over TIME dotCom assets," it said in a statement to the stock exchange.

The planned union follows a government decision to award two high-speed 3G licences, with one going to TIME dotCom, and the other going to MiTV, an unlisted pay-TV operator controlled by diversified retail group Berjaya (BGRO.KL: Quote, Profile, Research).

The source said the mechanics of the merger were being finalised and an announcement was expected soon.

"It's quite complementary, there's no duplication of resources; it's a consolidation," said Mohd Izhar Mohammad Allaudin, an analyst with Avenue Securities in Kuala Lumpur.

"TIME have 3G but no mobile subscribers. They need a distribution platform, and Jaring have got subscribers, but not mobile subscribers. It'll be interesting to see what they plan to do."

Jaring, an Internet service provider, aims to increase the number of broadband users of its service to 500,000 within two years from 300,000 now, its chief executive, Mohamed Awang Lah, said in October, according to state-run news agency Bernama.

TIME dotCom provides fixed-line and payphone telecommunications services in Malaysia, with its main asset a high-speed fibre optic cable that runs the length of the country's peninsula.

TIME dotCom reported last month that it narrowed its 2005 loss to 239 million ringgit from 833 million ringgit a year earlier. The firm is worth around 1.4 billion ringgit, according to Reuters data. ($1=3.72 ringgit)

Note : Jaring, Malaysia's oldest Internet service provider (ISP).

Measat signs contract for land launch
10 Mar 2006 8:51 PM


Measat Global Bhd¡¦s wholly owned subsidiary, Measat Satellite Systems Sdn Bhd, has awarded US-based PanAmSat Corp a US$44.23 million (RM164.38 million) to launch its its MEASAT 1R (http://space.skyrocket.de/index_frame.htm?http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/measat-1r.htm) (M1R) satellite.

Measat in a statement on March 10 said PanAmSat would provide the launch programme management services to Measat Satellite whilst the launch mission services would be provided via its subcontractor, Sea Launch Ltd Partnership.

The M1R would be launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan via a Zenit 3-SLB expendable launch vehicle.

Measat Global acquired the RM260 million M1R satellite from Orbital Sciences Corp to replace the existing MEASAT-1 satellite for service continuity and capacity expansion.


Note : MEASAT 1R
Hybrid Ku and C-band satellite for Southeast Asia

Measat signs contract for land launch
10 Mar 2006 8:51 PM


Measat Global Bhd¡¦s wholly owned subsidiary, Measat Satellite Systems Sdn Bhd, has awarded US-based PanAmSat Corp a US$44.23 million (RM164.38 million) to launch its its MEASAT 1R (http://space.skyrocket.de/index_frame.htm?http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/measat-1r.htm) (M1R) satellite.

Measat in a statement on March 10 said PanAmSat would provide the launch programme management services to Measat Satellite whilst the launch mission services would be provided via its subcontractor, Sea Launch Ltd Partnership.

The M1R would be launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan via a Zenit 3-SLB expendable launch vehicle.

Measat Global acquired the RM260 million M1R satellite from Orbital Sciences Corp to replace the existing MEASAT-1 satellite for service continuity and capacity expansion.


Note : MEASAT 1R
Hybrid Ku and C-band satellite for Southeast Asia


So how many MEASAT satellites will be in orbit? how many are in orbit right now?

Did the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, explain why they picked TTdotcom and MiTV? Why DiGi was not chosen?

MiTV and Digi are affiliated with the Berjaya group, it was suprising that both
companies were competing against each other.


Actually the MCMC di not really explain but they did cite that it is for 'national interest' and for a 'win-win' situation. Since Telenor controls most of DiGi, thus it is termed as a 'foreign-controlled' company while a 3G spectrum is a national asset. You guys figure out why lah :D


Anyway DiGi isn't directly affiliated to Berjaya as Vincent Tan is a minority shareholder there and not Berjaya. He hada much larger stake in MiTV and it is his current baby. :D

right now berjaya is not the majority shareholder in digi and they involved in different business.mitv is doing tv broadcasting and digi is doing mobile telecommunication service.of course they are competing each other to get the 3g spectrum.i don't know why mitv is asking for 3g license.they want to broadcast tv to homes using 3g ??? :sleepy:


I would think that MiTV wanted it for mobile broadcast rather than for homes. ;) For homes they are still using that lousy IP UHF thingy to receive ( have you seen their :puke: quality at their roadshows? :( ). ;)


Anyway I still think it is a waste for MiTV to have that license........DiGi would make a better use of it. As for TTDotCom....well........I also dunno what to say.....they are cash strapped now.......seems to me like the govt is giving 3G to those that are in a shithole rather than those whom really need it :ohno:

So how many MEASAT satellites will be in orbit? how many are in orbit right now?


They currently have 2 birds in orbit:

- MEASAT 1
- MEASAT 2

The all-powerful 'Video Hotbird' MEASAT 3 is supposed to be launched this year while MEASAT IR is due in 2007.

A still-under-development MEASAT 5 is gonna be launched in 2008. ;)

Actually the MCMC di not really explain but they did cite that it is for 'national interest' and for a 'win-win' situation. Since Telenor controls most of DiGi, thus it is termed as a 'foreign-controlled' company while a 3G spectrum is a national asset. You guys figure out why lah :D


Anyway DiGi isn't directly affiliated to Berjaya as Vincent Tan is a minority shareholder there and not Berjaya. He hada much larger stake in MiTV and it is his current baby. :D

What a load of bull from the MCMC!! National interests, national assets?? Hahh! This is such backward terminology used by the gahmen, to disclose a highly untransparent process. In this day and age the reasons used by MCMC just don't fly. What would the Malaysian reaction be if TM were given the same excuses for their Sri Lankan 3G ops or how about Maxis 3G ops in Indonesia? In the telecommunications sector especially, look at the industry trends, Vodophone operates across more than 20 countries also operates foriegn 3G spectrum. In Australia Singtel controls Optus, AAPT is controlled by NZ telecoms. Even in "National Security Sensitive U.S." Deutsche Telekom operates T mobile, just like how it operates T mobile in half a dozen other countries, Vodaphone in the US owns a big share in Verizon Wireless. Bigger more powerful countries such as the UK, Japan, US, Australia do not have a problem with national interests, because it does not pose a problem, in this century it is such a lame excuse! If national interests were such a concern, maybe MCMC should just revert TM to Jabatan Telekom Malaysia (JTM), the days of JTM matches the terminology being spouted the MCMC.

To me DiGi seems like the natural obvious choice, its mind boggling why it was not chosen and MiTV was, especially since MiTV is a shoddy pay TV operator with no proven experience as a mobile telecommunications provider. Even comparing it to TTdotcom, DiGi was a clear winner, TTdotcom got out of the cell market for a reason because it was cash strapped, how does anyone expect such a troubled company with a spotty history in providing mobile telecommunications to do good work with 3G? Do they even have the funds for the capex needed for 3G? DiGi as a choice was a clear no brainer.

Good points you have there.......well.......my friends and I had been in this 3G discussion for 2 weeks liao! I still can't believe DiGi din get it. :ohno:

Time's fortune could have changed if the Msian govt were not to have such kampung mentality :ohno: Remember when Singtel wanted to buy into time many years back?

But Alas.......The minister had spoken!!! :D





Lim explains why DiGi isn’t awarded a 3G spectrum licence



PANTAI REMIS: DiGi was not awarded a third-generation (3G) spectrum licence because it is a foreign company, said Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik. :bash:

He said the 3G spectrum is a scarce national resource and preference should be given to local companies.

“DiGi can still be involved by renting the 3G spectrum or buying into the companies,” he said after the ground-breaking ceremony for SRJK(C) Tit Bin's new school building here yesterday.

His statement confirmed what many had suspected when the Government announced that MiTV and Time dotcom had been awarded 3G licences.





http://thestar.com.my/archives/2006/3/12/nation/10lim.jpg

CALLING THE SHOTS: Dr Lim showing his handphone while fielding questions from journalists about the 3G licence issue in Pantai Remis yesterday. — Bernamapic





Dr Lim nevertheless said the ministry was not against foreigners investing in the country.

He admitted that the decision had been controversial and added that those unsuccessful would say that the decision was unfair.

Foreign analysts in Singapore had been criticising the ministry, he said.

Dr Lim said all three companies which applied for the licence were qualified.

“If I had given it to an unqualified company, then it is not fair,” he said, adding that the three applicants were evaluated based on their technical, financial management and business plan.

He also said the ministry’s decision was based on the Government's plan to encourage more players and make the telecommunication industry more vibrant.

On a lighter note, Dr Lim likened the selection process to a beauty contest.

“We didn’t go through an auction. We went through a beauty contest,” he said, adding that in any beauty contest, there would be successful and unsuccessful contestants.

“They can speculate whatever they want,” he said, adding that, “What is beautiful in your eyes may not be beautiful in my eyes.”

I hope the Indian Government don't give the 3G spectrum in India to Spice Telecom since it has a large foreign shares which is acquired by Telekom Malaysia.That will teach Lim Keng Yeik a lesson. :sleepy: :sleepy:

Maxis among first in Asia to evolve 3G into 3.5G


Maxis Communications Bhd has become one of the first companies in Asia, ex-Japan, to implement the next evolution of 3G into 3.5G.

This comes after Maxis successfully integrated the High Speed Download Packet Access (HSDPA) or 3.5G fully into its 3G network.

Maxis chief operating officer Edward Ying said the company aims to launch HSDPA services later this year.

"This makes Maxis one of the first companies in Asia (outside Japan) to implement this next evolution of 3G services," he said in a statement on April 5.

Ying said consumers in the Klang Valley would be the first to enjoy the HSDPA broadband services.

With initial data transmission speeds of up to 1.8Mbps, consumers will be able to experience greatly improved high-speed mobile broadband access to Internet browsing, email, video streaming, online gaming and music downloads.

"This makes HSDPA almost five times faster than 3G and more than 10 times faster than EDGE networks," said Ying. He said technical trials were progressing smoothly with HSDPA calls at a peak data transmission speed of 1.6 Mbps.

“We see HSDPA as a key factor in differentiating us from other 3G operators, allowing us to deliver richer services and applications at faster speed to ensure customers have a better experience.

“We are on track with our launch plans for HSDPA and aim to offer mobile broadband and eventually residential broadband services within our existing 3G coverage areas.

"This strategy, in line with our investments in new technologies, would allow us to offer the advantages of mobile broadband connections anytime and anywhere,” Ying said.

He added that the successful trial and planned rollout of the HSDPA services were made possible through strong collaboration with Ericsson, Maxis’ key 3G network supplier.

Ericsson Southeast Asia, president, Jan Signell, said the upcoming HSDPA launch puts Maxis at the forefront of mobile broadband initiatives, not just in the country, but also within the Asia-Pacific region.

“We are delighted to play a role in enabling Maxis to stay ahead of its competition and be among the first in Asia to provide such powerful end-user offerings,” he added.

Maxis said with future network upgrades, HSDPA would be able to support peak download rates of up to 14Mbps, dramatically improving the broadband services experience of its customers.

It said HSDPA PC cards were already available while HSDPA-enabled handsets would be released to the market later this year.

Jaring to boost broadband take-up
By Rupa Damodaran
BusinessTimes
May 18 2006


Jaring wants to expedite the broadband
take-up rate by working with housing developers

JARING (http://www.jaring.com.my/) Communications Sdn Bhd, the country's oldest Internet service provider, expects to boost broadband take-up in the country through tie-ups with housing developers.

"Although our (broadband take-up) rates are still far from the target of 2.8 million broadband users under the Ninth Malaysia Plan come 2008, we can expedite it if more developers work with us," its chief executive officer Dr Mohamed Awang Lah told reporters after a signing ceremony between the company and property firm Asia-Pacific Land Bhd (AP Land) and BTP Wireless Sdn Bhd in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.



http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BT/Thursday/Corporate/BT567711.txt/Article/Current_News/BT/Images/dailyn1/btpw.jpg



Jaring now provides access, biz Solution and communications services to more than 700,000 subscribers across the country.

Under yesterday's agreement, Jaring has been selected as a wireless broadband provider for Bandar Tasik Puteri in Rawang.

This means that residents in the township will be able to enjoy high-speed Internet access via WiFI connectivity which is embedded with VoIP service.

AP land is the first housing developer in Malaysia to offer free wireless broadband service to house purchasers as a promotion.

Mohamed said a penetration rate of at least 20 per cent in the Bandar Tasik Puteri township is a good target for Jaring to start with.

Under the first phase of the project, it is targeting 6,500 households to subscribe to its broadband service.

AP Land managing director Low Su Ming said it was keen to include wireless facility as a basic amenity for house owners in its new projects.

"AP Land is taking the lead in this area, not only for the benefit of house owners in Bandar Tasik Puteri, but also as an obligation to Selangor's vision of producing ICT savvy population," she added.

All existing residents of Bandar Tasik Puteri can now apply to subscribe to the broadband service at a monthly subscription fee of RM84 which offers up to 1 Mbps access speed.

Jaring also plans to offer the same service to surrounding property developments such as Desa Puteri, Green Valley Park, Puteri Heights, Garden Height and Indah Height.

MEASAT-3 satellite gets slot for launch
By Isabelle Francis, 17 Jul 2006 7:12 PM
THEEDGEDAILY

MEASAT Satelite Systems Sdn Bhd (MEASAT) has been allocated a launch slot from Nov 28, 2006 to Jan 26, 2007 for the MEASAT-3 satellite.

In a statement on July 17, MEASAT said the launch of MEASAT-3, which was initially scheduled for last year, was delayed by the manufacturing process and additional testing.

It was informed of the launch slot by International Launch Services (ILS) on behalf of Lockheed-Khrunichev-Energis International Inc, the designated launch service provider.

MEASAT said it had confirmed in writing its acceptance of the launch slot and informed the spacecraft manufacturer, Boeing Satelite Systems, to ready the satellite for launch.

It said ILS targeted "a launch towards the beginning of this period".

“Designed to work with MEASAT-1, the state-of-art MEASAT-3 satellite will increase the amount of high-powered capacity available at MEASAT’s key 91.5 degrees E orbital location by some 300%," it said.

MEASAT said the increase in capacity would enable the introduction of a range of new services by the organisation’s telecommunications, broadcasting and Direct to Home broadcasting customers.

It said with a global beam designed to reach over 100 countries, the launch of the satellite would also extend the reach of the MEASAT network to over 70% of the world’s population across Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Eastern Africa.

Maya Karin is Celcom’s first local Power Icon
17-08-2006: By Alfean Hardy


Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd has picked artiste Maya Karin as its first local Power Icon as it seeks to consolidate its position as the telecommunications operator of choice amongst Malay subscribers.

Under a 12-month contract, Maya will endorse Celcom’s postpaid products and services and it would also have exclusive rights for mobile contents including wallpapers, songs and filmlets.

Celcom marketing vice president Zalman Aefendy said on Aug 17 the move was to maintain its leadership in the Malay market.

“The beauty of Maya Karin is that we believe she not only attracts the Malays, she appeals to all Malaysians because of her versatility,” he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 17,

So far this year, Celcom had signed on foreign personalities including footballers Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, Ryan Giggs and Robert Pires and Chinese entertainers JJ Lin and Wang Lee Hom.

“One thing I can assure you, when we cut deals with Power Icons, it’s a win-win activity. When we do postpaid TV commercials, this will run for a very long time and as such there is cost savings since we don’t have to cut new TV commercials for postpaid promotions.




http://www.theedgedaily.com/cms/storage/images/com.tms.cms.image.Image_1c347ae0-cb73c03a-1f5b4d10-e850bebc/1/Celcom_inside.jpg

Maya and Zalman after her appointment as Celcom's first local Power Icon




Zalman said the signing on of JJ and LeeHom has allowed Celcom to make inroads into the Chinese market and, currently, Celcom’s postpaid Malay and Chinese subscriber base were almost equal.

“Celcom is traditionally considered a Malay brand. Working together with a brand – and JJ Lin and Wang LeeHom are brands – is our way of gaining affinity with the customer base

“We are also the only ones with a Tamil portal and offer Tamil SMS services. We got good feedback from the Indian community because before this no one had done so. The industry had always focused on just the Chinese and Malay markets,” he added.

Dudes, recently received mail from Telekom that my homeline now has FREE voicemail. tried it out, its easy to use and it also records missed calls. Not sure if this applies to all homelines but you can try it out by calling 1-300-88-6666 and following the instructions. below is the announcement from tm website
================================================
Voicemail service is a value added services provide by TM to Homeline/Businessline customers as a smart solution to a hectic lifestyle and incorporates what customers want most, privacy and effiency.

This new service from TM enables all Homeline/Businessline subscribers to have the privillege of owning a virtual answering machine, which is centrally managed by TM. No subscription fee. Leave and retrieve messages anytime from fixed or mobile phone.

Voicemail service allows users to receive personal messages when they are away from their phones or while their phones are in use.

You can retrieve messages from your Homeline/Businessline or any others phone at anytime by calling
1-300-88-6666 and charged at local call rate.

This service is offered to all Homeline/Businessline subscribers and subject to availability in customer areas.

Pricing

REGISTRATION FEE NIL
MONTHLY RENTAL NIL
Call Completion/Message Deposit National Calls or Local Calls charges
Call Retrieval Local Calls charges
Call Back National Calls or Local Calls charges
Call retrieval via notification Local Calls charges
Notification/Alert NIL

Do more with 3G

TAN KIT HOONG gets his hands on two3G phones and immediately goes on the hunt for 3G services and applications. He takes a look at what you can do with the faster data speeds that 3G offers.

So you’ve heard a lot about 3G on your mobile phone, and you’ve run out, got your SIM card changed and put it into a nice, new 3G phone.

You’re all excited about making video phone calls on it and you proceed to make video calls to all your friends who have 3G phones (all 3 of them).

But once the initial excitement is over, you’re left wondering what else on earth there is to do with it.

Well, we at In.Tech were also wondering, so we’ve got here a collection of a number of uses for your 3G phones to maximise your investment.

Do note however that doing some of the things we’re showing here could cost you a lot of money if you’re not careful – you’ve been warned!

Browse the Net

You may not have noticed it, but most 3G mobile phones have quietly upgraded their browsers to be fully HTML-capable, and not just browse ialised WAP pages.

Most Symbian devices come with the Opera browser installed while various manufacturers have their own browsers from Internet Explorer on Windows Mobile for Smartphone devices to Access NetFront on other devices.

The point is this – almost all 3G phones come with a pretty usable web browser, so take advantage of it.

By the way, even if you’re not satisfied with the one you have, but you have a Java-enabled mobile, you can point the WAP browser to http://mini.opera.com and download a free one to your mobile.

Opera Mini is a pretty full-featured web browser which works on most phones that support Java – in many cases better than most of the basic browsers that are bundled with your mobile phone.

Have your news delivered

One interesting feature integrated into new Sony Ericsson mobile phones is the RSS reader – when you visit a website which has an RSS feed, you can subscribe to it and add it to your RSS list.

The RSS reader on Sony Ericsson phones even has the ability to automatically download RSS feeds on a set schedule so you can have all your favourite news fresh from the Net every time you open up the reader.

For the other smartphones without a built-in RSS reader, you can actually download the venerable old AvantGo (www.avantgo.com), which is a popular free offline newsreader that is available for all the popular operating systems, from Windows Mobile and Symbian to PalmOS.

The latest version of AvantGo in fact has the ability to subscribe to RSS feeds as well.

Chat using Agile Messenger

Are you one of those people that just can’t do without your instant messenger?

If you are, then Agile Messenger could be for you – this mature multi-chat client supports both Symbian and Windows Mobile 5.0 operating systems.

The clients supported by Agile Messenger include AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), ICQ, Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger and even Google Talk.

While we did say that using 3G services a lot will cost you mucho dinero, a chat client is pretty safe to leave on for extended periods of time since it sends and receives mostly text which are very small files.

Agile Messenger even has some interesting features all its own, such as the ability to do a kind of “push-to-talk” where with the press of a button you can record short messages and then send it directly to the person you’re chatting with.

Anyway, the latest version of Agile Messenger is currently in beta for Windows Mobile 5.0 and most Symbian phones.

One other thing – Agile Messenger is not freeware, but the current beta versions available seem to so far be free and without any expiry date. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that it won’t somehow expire at some point.

Download it at www.agilemobile.com/downloads.html.

Watch streaming video

Yes you can actually watch a variety of TV shows on 3G as both Celcom and Maxis offer streaming music and video over their 3G networks through their retive portals.

Amongst other channels, Maxis offers a selection of channels available on Astro like BBC News and even Cartoon Network, while Celcom offers shows like Fear Factor Malaysia and video news feeds from The Edge.

Prices are pretty competitive – for example, Maxis charges between RM4 to RM15 depending on content and there is a 30-day free trial for new subscribers.

To subscribe to any of these video channels, all you have to do is visit the 3G portal that was saved as a bookmark when you first configured your mobile phone and then just follow the instructions.

Celcom planned 3G coverage (end of 2006)

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/3235/3ggu2.jpg

WiMAX tender evaluation is now on
By Cindy Yeap

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has been given the go-ahead to proceed with the evaluation of the 17 applications for the 2.3GHz wireless broadband access WiMAX spectrum.

Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said: “They (MCMC) are going through the applications and will be seeking clarifications where necessary.

"If the applications have been made based on the wrong premise, for instance a state rollout instead of the nationwide rollout that we want, the MCMC will ask the applicant to clarify its position,” he said.

He was speaking after launching the Wawasan Open University Scholarship Fund at Gerakan's Deepavali and Hari Raya open house in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 1.

On July 18, Dr Lim had ordered the beauty contest for the 2.3GHz spectrum blocks be halted as specifications in the tender documents did not meet the MyICMS 886 industry development blueprint.

“We’ve gotten the necessary feedback from consultants. We’re now in a better position to proceed… Give them (the MCMC) time to do their evaluation,” Dr Lim said.

Up to four blocks of spectrum will be up for grabs, but the minister said early last month that he was “inclined” to award only two blocks of spectrum of 30MHz each initially.

Three of the country's four 3G spectrum holders are among the 17 applicants. They are Telekom Malaysia Bhd, Maxis Communications Bhd and MiTV Corp Bhd. Time dotCom Bhd chose not to participate.

Citing sources, The Edge last month reported that 3G spectrum holders would be side-stepped if other candidates have the capability to roll out WiMAX on concerns that they may not roll out WiMAX wholeheartedly.

The other bidders include NasionCom Sdn Bhd, REDtone-CNX Broadband Sdn Bhd, MIB Comm Sdn Bhd (controlled by Mesdaq Market leader Green Packet Bhd), Jaring Communications Sdn Bhd, Asiaspace dotcom Sdn Bhd, Celcom Timur (Sabah) Sdn Bhd, Fibrecomm Network (M) Sdn Bhd, SGR Capital Sdn Bhd, GO Lightspeed Broadband Sdn Bhd, Bizsurf (M) Sdn Bhd, IP Mobility Sdn Bhd, Optical Communications Engineering Sdn Bhd and Electcoms Wireless Sdn Bhd.

Meanwhile, Malaysia is set to launch the Malaysian Internet Exchange (MIX) by end-November, a month earlier than expected to speed up Internet connection and save cost for end-users, Dr Lim said.

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/3235/3ggu2.jpg
Can anyone pls tell me that wat is the different between 3G and 3GX??

Can anyone pls tell me that wat is the different between 3G and 3GX??

My guess is that the 3G is UMTS (regular third gneeration system), while the 3GX is HSDPA system (High Speed Download Packet Access).., it is a evolutionary path for UMTS-based 3G networks allowing for higher data transfer speeds, which works as what GPRS did in 2nd generation systems....(HSDPA sometimes refered as 3.5 G), the initial speed for HSDPA is 1.8 Mbps...

My guess is that the 3G is UMTS (regular third gneeration system), while the 3GX is HSDPA system (High Speed Download Packet Access).., it is a evolutionary path for UMTS-based 3G networks allowing for higher data transfer speeds, which works as what GPRS did in 2nd generation systems....(HSDPA sometimes refered as 3.5 G), the initial speed for HSDPA is 1.8 Mbps...

oo...3GX is actually 3.5G...thanks for explain:)

Source: The Edge

WiMAX only for companies with national rollout capabilities
By Ashwin Raman


The government will award the WiMAX 2.3GHz spectrum that is expected to be launched next year to companies which have the financial means and operational capabilities to undertake a national rollout.

Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said companies that had submitted applications for the spectrum with only state-wide rollouts would need to change their applications to include a national rollout plan.

Asked if smaller companies that have submitted applications would need to form partnerships to have national rollout capability, he said: “They will need to do whatever it takes. If we say national rollout, then they have to follow.”

However, an industry analyst said only the biggest three companies among the 17 applicants - Telekom Malaysia Bhd, Maxis Communications Bhd and DiGi.Com Bhd - would have the capability to undertake a national rollout.

“The chances are slim for the small players unless they form alliances. The capital expenditure of the WiMAX rollout will be in the billions of ringgit,” he told FinancialDaily .

The evaluation of the 17 applicants for the 2.3GHz WiMAX spectrum by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) resumed early this month after Lim had halted the process in July.

At the time, he said the tender documents did not meet with MyICMS 886 industry development blueprint. Up to four blocks of the spectrum will be awarded.

The other applicants for the spectrum include NasionCom Sdn Bhd, REDtone-CNX Broadband Sdn Bhd, MiTV Corp Bhd, MIB Comm Sdn Bhd, Jaring Communications Sdn Bhd, Asiaspace dotcom Sdn Bhd, Celcom Timur (Sabah) Sdn Bhd, Fibrecomm Network (M) Sdn Bhd, SGR Capital Sdn Bhd, GO Lightspeed Broadband Sdn Bhd, Bizsurf (M) Sdn Bhd, IP Mobility Sdn Bhd, Optical Communications Engineering Sdn Bhd and Electcoms Wireless Sdn Bhd.

Speaking to reporters after opening a telecommunications seminar in Putrajaya on Nov 14, Lim said he was discussing with MCMC if the 2.3GHz spectrum should be awarded to companies already holding a 3G spectrum. Telekom, Maxis and MiTV are 3G holders.

Meanwhile, Lim said the MCMC would appoint a clearing house operator for mobile number portability by year-end.

He said the MCMC was currently assessing the technology partners and financial capabilities of the companies that had submitted applications.

The companies believed to be considered for the job are Talian Gerak Alih Sdn Bhd (foreign partner US-based Telecordia Technologies Inc of the US), NP Clearinghouse Sdn Bhd (foreign partner US-based Syniverse Technologies), MSCtrustgate.com (foreign partner US-based Verisign), Solution Provider Asia and Swedtel Southeast Asia (foreign partner Sweden-based Worldtel Ltd) and Nusa Advanced Systems (foreign partner US-based Neustar plc).

after a delay its now ready, will we get high definition satellite tv transmissions soon?

Measat satellite shipped to Kazakhstan for December launch

Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com

Measat Global Bhd’s communications satellite has been shipped from Boeing’s satellite manufacturing plant in California to Kazakhstan for a December launch.

Its unit, Measat Satellite Systems Sdn Bhd said on Nov 15 the Measat-3 communications satellite would be sent to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, where it will be launched aboard an International Launch Services (ILS) Proton Breeze M rocket.

The satellite would join the existing Measat-1 and Measat-2 satellites to expand the Measat satellite fleet to provide extended coverage over the wider Asia-Pacific region for Measat’s direct-to-home (DTH), broadcasting and telecommunications customers.

Boeing also provided hardware and software for the telemetry, tracking and control of the Measat-3 satellite from the Measat Teleport and Broadcasting Centre in Cyberjaya.
http://www.theedgedaily.com./cms/storage/images/com.tms.cms.image.Image_ea799b8e-cb73c03a-16f70a40-3d5b71f8/1/Measat-1_inside.jpg
The Measat-3 satellite configured for shipment to Baikonur, Khazakstan

"The shipment of Measat-3 represents another key milestone toward enabling Measat to provide services capable of reaching customers in more than 100 countries, which represents two-thirds of the world’s population,” said Boeing Satellite Systems International, Inc president Stephen T O’Neill.

Measat-3 will be co-located with Measat-1 at 91.5 degrees East longitude. It will provide 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band high-powered transponders, each providing 36 MHz of bandwidth over a 15-year service life.

Measat-3’s C-band payload will provide service over a region, including Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa, representing 70% of the world’s population.

The Ku-band payload has been designed to provide high-powered, flexible service options for the development direct-to-home applications across Malaysia, Indonesia and South Asia.

Measat supplies satellite communication services to Asia’s leading broadcasters, DTH operators and telecom providers.

Malaysians can enjoy better Astro service soon
Saturday November 18, 2006
TheStar


KUALA LUMPUR: The Measat-3 satellite has arrived in Kazakhstan ahead of its launch in December and, if all goes well, Malaysians can look forward to reduced disruption of satellite television transmission during heavy rainfall.

It was shipped from the Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems satellite manufacturing facility in El Segundo, California, to the Baikonur Cosmodrome for its launch aboard a Proton Breeze M rocket.

Along with the existing Measat-1 and Measat-2 satellites, Measat-3 will provide Direct-to-Home (DTH) services, like Astro satellite-TV in Malaysia, to over 100 countries representing two-thirds of the world’s population.

The satellite beams are designed to cut through the heavy tropical rainfall to provide high-quality DTH services, Measat said in a statement.

The satellite will be controlled from the Measat Teleport and Broadcasting Centre (MTBC) in Cyberjaya.

TM plans to wire up cities with Metro-E
By Zuraimi Abdullah

TELEKOM Malaysia Bhd (TM) is considering plans to wire up Malaysian cities with high-speed broadband Internet infrastructure, an exercise that may take five years and cost several billion ringgit.

"It would cost a few hundred million ringgit if Telekom is to introduce the infrastructure in the Klang Valley alone," Water, Energy and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said.

TM had started a trial run of the infrastructure called Metro Ethernet (Metro-E) connection since September this year at 87 blocks of condominiums, its chief executive officer of Malaysia Business, Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa said.

"The 87 blocks cover 400 units of condominiums with the whole trial run to be completed next month," Zamzamzairani said, adding that any firm decision on the actual rollout of the high-speed broadband service depends on the outcome.

He said this in response to Dr Lim's call earlier for TM to create a mesh of broadband networked cities by "smartening" existing cities to help transform Malaysia into an ICT nation.

"Projects like i-City may seem hard to come by and are not enough to create a mesh of broadband networked cities.

"We do not need new projects. Instead, just smarten existing cities," Dr Lim said at the signing ceremony between Telekom and I-Bhd in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Under the deal, TM would provide high-speed broadband service for I-Bhd's RM1.5 billion i-City smart township at Section 7 in Shah Alam.

He said TM can start with Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Ipoh, Johor Baru, Seremban, Putrajaya and Cyberia. "I bet you that those cities themselves will keep you busy for a decade or more to come."

Dr Lim said everytime he asked why it was easy for the South Koreans to provide broadband and optic fibre to homes in Seoul, everyone said it was because they live in concentrated high-rise buildings.

"Fair enough. But don't we have concentrated high-rise buildings in Kuala Lumpur and Penang? Can't we start smartening them now?" he asked.

Dr Lim wants to launch an Internet Protocol (IP)-enabled system after the setting up of an International Internet Exchange in Malaysia by year-end. The system, which would work from a set-top box connected to TV antennas for reception, will allow users to get many interactive services.

"Telekom may offer the set-top box for free but customers will be charged for the services," he said.

Measat I & II
http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/space/bss/images/commercial-civil/boeing376/web_images/measat_92-05912_300x375.jpg
http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/space/bss/images/stowed-orbit/measat12_n.jpg

Measat III
http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/space/bss/images/commercial-civil/boeing601/web_images/measat-3_03PR-01605E_300x375.jpg
http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/space/bss/images/stowed-orbit/measat3_n.jpg

Measat 1R
http://space.skyrocket.de/img_sat/measat-1r__1.jpg

STROM Telecom Chooses M'sia As Its Asia Pacific Hub




KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 (Bernama) -- STROM Telecom, the Czech-based modern telecommunications equipment, information systems and technologies company has chosen Malaysia as its hub for the Asia Pacific region.

Its general manager for Asia Pacific, Geoffrey Head said Malaysia was chosen for its large number of English speaking IT personnel, young motivated workforce, advanced infrastructure as well as strong support from the government for its information communication technology (ICT) industry.

"Malaysia is very strategic location for us to establish our development and customer support centre to serve Asia Pacific region," he told reporters after the opening of STROM Telecom's new branch office and development and customer support centre here Friday.

The new centre would provide localised support for the company's customers in the region as well as backing for STROM telecom's country by country activities in the region.

It would launch locally tailored development programmes and cooperate with STROM Telecom's other research and development centres in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia, Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Head said the centre would be equipped with STROM Telecom's next generation network (NGN) core, converged OSS/BSS and billing environment and advanced broadband access solutions including WiMAX and IPTV.

He said it would provide operators, regulatory bodies and government officials a unique opportunity to test the company's new high-end communication solutions working together in configurations set up according to their needs in a live laboratory testing environment.

"The centre would also include training facilities for customers' technical personnel," he said.

Head said STROM telecom expects to have about 15 to 20 employees for the centre by end of the year.

STROM Telecom is a member of the SITRONICS Telecommunications Solutions Division and was established in 1993.

-- BERNAMA

Maxis adds 11 mobile TV channels

CELLULAR carrier Maxis Communications Bhd has introduced 11 new channels its mobile television service Maxis TV, and a new feature called Easy Switch that simplifies channel switching.

Maxis TV now has 20 channels, including a sports package of channels dedicated to Arsenal FC, Liverpool FC, FC Barcelona and the Eropean Professional Golf Association tour, as well as music-video, fashion, lifestyle and news channels.

All are available for RM1 a day per channel, according to Maxis head of product and new business Nikolai Dobberstein.

Easy Switch allows channel surfing at the touch of a button, rather than requiring that the user go through the wireless application protocol (WAP) portal all over again to select a new channel.

Dobberstein said Maxis TV now had the largest portfolio of channels for mobile viewing on 2.5G and 3G (third-generation) cellular phones in Malaysia.

At present Maxis TV is available only for Nokia 6630, 6680 and N70 phones; Motorola V3X phones; and Sony Ericsson K600i, K610i and Z800i phones.

These are the most popular 3G phones currently on the market, said Maxis, and more manufacturers and models would be added in due course.

The Maxis TV base package consists of CNN News, Astro HITZ TV, Entertainment Daily, Cartoon Network and MTV2GO, and is available for RM20 a month. Its SportsTV package is another RM20 a month.

Maxis customers must start with the base package, but can choose from another 10 channels for a monthly charge of RM5 per channel. There are no additional costs for access.

=================================================

Anyone subscribes to Maxis' mobile phone TV channels

3G rollout to be Ericsson’s engine of growth
By Alfean Hardy
fd@bizedge.com

Ericsson expects the 3G/HSPA (high-speed packet access) wireless broadband spectrum to be a major engine of growth for the company as mobile operators Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd and Maxis Communications Bhd extend their coverage and capacity and MiTV Corporation Sdn Bhd rolls out its own 3G network.

“Mobile broadband, especially Maxis’ wireless broadband, is one of the strongest drivers for the company. We want to position ourselves as a strong technology and infrastructure provider to the telecommunications industry here," Ericsson Malaysia president and country manager Krishna Kumar told a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 1.

“3G has just been rolled out and we will see prices improve due to economies of scale. It was the same with GSM when it was first introduced and now the adoption rate for 3G is higher than it was for GSM during the same period of time,” he added.

Krishna said Ericsson was well positioned to take advantage of the growth of the fixed-line subscriber base, which was projected to expand from 500,000 to 1.5 million in 2008 in an IDC (a market intelligence and advisory services provider for ICT) report.

“A lot of the focus is now on broadband and, with 3G rollout, this will support that growth with demand coming from all segments of the market from residential to enterprise. The data shows that there’s pent-up demand for broadband and we can take advantage of this,” he added.

On the wireless WiMAX technology, which is seen as a competitor to the 3G network, Ericsson Southeast Asia president Jan Signell said he viewed WiMAX as a complementary technology to 3G/HSPA.

“WiMAX is not mobile yet. It still needs hotspots like airports, universities and hotels, and then there’s the investment involved as the telecommunications companies (telcos) will need to upgrade their base stations.”

“Yes, WiMAX has a role but it is not the main track. We still see 3G/HSPA as the main driver for wireless broadband. We can certainly support both, though,” he added.

Signell said WiMAX would be especially useful for last-mile access while 3G/HSPA would be more useful over a wider area.

He also said WiMAX was especially beneficial for telcos that had not been awarded a 3G spectrum but warned the cost of setting up a WiMAX network was more expensive than that of a GSM-based network.

Nearly half of handphone users to switch providers when MNP takes effect
By Joyce Goh
Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com

Nearly half of mobile phone users in Malaysia would switch telecommunications service providers once mobile number portability (MNP) becomes an option, according to a survey conducted by mobile device management specialist SmartTrust.

It said on Dec 4 that a recent survey showed 43% of the users would switch telcos (telecommunication companies) if they could kept their phone numbers, when compared with an earlier survey that 11% would consider switching service providers without the MNP.

Under MNP, subscribers could switch mobile service providers without losing their existing mobile number.

The decision by the 43% of the respondents to change provider was not based only on cost, SmartTrust said.

“A massive 63% said that they would switch to better overall quality of service. This was followed by cheaper costs (45%) and better customer care (36%),” it said.

SmartTrust communications manager Tim Deluca-Smith said changing phone numbers could be a big inconvenience for consumers, as they did not want to spend time updating friends and family members of their new numbers.

“Ultimately, the inability to continue using the existing phone number with you is a barrier which prevents consumers from exercising choice and taking advantage of growing competition in the Malaysian telecommunication market,” he said.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission recently announced that although MNP may take a while to be implemented, it is confident that it will be made available to mobile users in Malaysia by December 2007.

======================================================================

Will you switch mobile operators if u can retain your number?

Dr Lim: Internet Exchange to be launched on Dec 15

By Ashwin Raman
Email us your feedback at fd@bizedge.com


The Malaysian Internet Exchange (MIE), which is expected to reduce Internet access charges for consumers, :banana: will be launched on Dec 15, Minister of Water, Energy and Communications Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said.

The MIE was originally scheduled to be launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Nov 30 but was delayed due to the Prime Minister’s busy schedule.

Delivering his keynote address at the Asean-China Business Forum 2006 in Seri Kembangan on Dec 7, Dr Lim said he would launch the MIE on the rescheduled date.

“We are working towards a Malaysian Internet exchange under the concept of keeping local traffic local,” he said.

The MIE, set up at an initial cost of RM15 million, is a collaborative effort of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission as well the Internet Service Providers, telecommunications companies and Internet infrastructure companies.

An Internet exchange serves as a point for networks to interconnect directly instead of going through a third party network.

Earlier reports qouted Dr Lim as saying the MIE would increase bandwith speed and enable web surfers to directly visit domestic websites without being routed to foreign servers anymore.

He had said the MIE would also attract international cables to Malaysia and neighbouring countries could in turn start routing to Malaysia instead of Singapore. :cheers:

Meanwhile, Dr Lim said an Asean-China Internet exchange facilitated by the Asean-China information superhighway project could be set up to “keep regional traffic regional.”

^^ hopefully my RM77 per month subscription will be reduced at least RM40:nuts:

^^..agree..hehehe:D:D

how i wish i have this right now: http://www.penangfon.com/