Correct upload speed for 500Mbps package is 100Mbps, not 200Mbps — TM KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 21): Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) has clarified that the correct upload speed configuration for its 500Mbps package is 100Mbps and not 200Mbps as stated in the earlier version of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), unifi Portal and leaflets. TM also reiterated that there has been no change to the upload speed configuration for the new unifi 500Mbps package. TM said this clarification was in response to the statement made by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) titled “MCMC Siasat Aduan Pengurangan Kelajuan Pakej unifi Berbanding Tawaran Awal”, adding it would like to assure all its customers and stakeholders of its commitment to consumer rights and protection. TM said it continues to be transparent in informing its customers on this, and are tightening its processes to ensure this does not recur. “In the meantime, we will give our full cooperation to the MCMC in their investigation. “We wish to update that all customers are still within the 30-day Try Me period as we just introduced the package less than one month ago on Aug 24, 2020. “Hence, customers can opt not to continue with us without any penalty,” it said. TM will be calling customers who had signed up for the 500Mbps package since Aug 24, to inform them of the error and on the options available to them, starting from Monday Sept 21. “We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and assure our customers that all of our channels, including our website and marketing materials, have been updated to reflect the correct information,” it said.
KOTA KINABALU (Sept 17): Sabah is the biggest beneficiary of the infrastructure development project under the Government’s National Digital Network (JENDELA) initiative with an estimated cost of RM2.45 billion, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said. He said the implementation of the initiative would turn the broadband facilities and services for the people of Sabah to be on par with those provided in other States in Malaysia. “The people of Sabah will have wider broadband access starting at the end of this year until 2022. A total of 419 new towers will be built and 1,972 existing transmitters will be upgraded to 4G. “Besides, the fixed line fibre optic coverage will also be expanded to cover 251,166 premises across Sabah,” he said at the launch of Gerbang Sabah, which is the largest component of JENDELA to strengthen the construction of the national digital infrastructure, here today. Also present were Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) chairman Dr Fadhlullah Suhaimi Abdul Malek, and Telekom Malaysia Berhad chairman Tan Sri Mohd Bakke Salleh. Muhyiddin said Gerbang Sabah is the Internet connection point between Sabah and the rest of the world, and is believed to be able to boost the State’s development and progress, besides preparing the people to face the future based on innovation and technology. It is hoped that the initiative would also improve the level of connectivity as well as the quality of communication services experience nationwide through the development of faster and more comprehensive digital infrastructure. “Gerbang Sabah will be the starting point to increase the digital capacity of the people in Sabah and open the opportunity for everyone to progress to greater heights in the future,” he said. The Prime Minister said the Government through the MCMC had also set up 133 Community Internet Centres to provide digital guidance to the people of Sabah, including to generate income through e-commerce activities. As the youths are the most active group among broadband facility users, the Government and service provider companies will work together to create special broadband access packages for them, such as through low cost services and attractive terms to help them meet the learning and communication needs of the new normal era, he said. “All aspirations towards the development of a digital society and a sustainable digital economy for Sabah people begin at Gerbang Sabah. The broadband connection capacity here will be channelled to the infrastructure such as fibre optic exchanges and telecommunication towers statewide,” he said. Muhyiddin also expressed hope that the initiative would close the digital gap among the States in Malaysia apart from improving Sabah’s reputation in the eyes of the world. Meanwhile, he said the capacity of the Malaysian People’s Cable System (SKRM) in Tanjung Aru had also been increased from 4 Terabit per second to 7.3 Terabit per second. The Prime Minister said Telekom Malaysia had also upgraded and doubled the SKRM capacity by three times to achieve at least 12.8 Terabit per second in the next three to four years. “This will involve an additional allocation of RM100 million to the original investment of RM575.5 million by the MCMC and Telekom Malaysia,” he said, adding that the SKRM capacity was vital to accommodate the increasing use of the Internet by the Sabah people and to support JENDELA objectives. In a similar development, Muhyiddin said 96.9 percent of the populated areas in the country will be covered by 4G services by 2022 before the Government could upgrade it to 5G. “I would like to repeat the Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) commitment to transform the JENDELA action plan and the launch of Gerbang Sabah is an important part of the initiave,” he said.
63pc of Malaysians not getting their promised internet speed during MCO, survey finds https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/09/25/63pc-of-malaysians-not-getting-their-promised-internet-speed-during-mco-sur/1906613
Creating future-proof businesses with cloud Mohamad Rejab Sulaiman, Head of Data Centre, Cloud & Internet, TM ONE Cloud is perceived as a powerful technological enabler for business transformation as well as innovation, opening up fresh opportunities to review and pivot business models and deepen customer engagement. In recent years, we have seen digital transformation rising higher on the strategy agenda as an increasing number of leaders across multiple industries realise the urgency of adopting digitalisation in their organisations, even more so during this unprecedented period. There is also widespread recognition at the senior executive level that the role of digital technology is pivoting — from driving marginal efficiency to a more catalytic role in fuelling innovation and driving disruption. The steady increase in digital transformation initiatives has recently morphed into a surge, with businesses attempting to stay ahead of the curve. Many business leaders have expressed concern that they may have missed the boat — that it is already too late for them to adapt. They also believe that traditional cost-cutting measures are no longer enough to turn the tide. A more expansive strategic approach tuned towards improving competitiveness through the path of maximising returns from efficiency improvements, innovation and new operating models is needed in a digitalised, highly competitive business world.
At many conferences and customer meetings, the topic of digital transformation dominates business strategy discussions. CEOs continue to look to their chief technology officers (CTOs) to act as strategic partners to guide them through a series of significant changes. However, in this age of 4th Industrial Revolution (IR4.0), almost every business has effectively become a digital enterprise, therefore digitalisation strategies need to extend beyond the CTO’s turf and actively involve the C-suite as a whole. Chief financial officers (CFOs), for example, will be able to appreciate the value digitalisation offers to their organisation, especially as the essential financial requirements— accuracy, speed, reliability, truthfulness, driven by data, all in real time, as well as rapidly growing e-commerce opportunities — have propelled the sector to the forefront of the digitalisation curve. CFOs are in a prime position to become key influencers in driving the digitalisation agenda, as finance is a vital aspect of a company. To future-proof further growth, it is also critical that business leaders prioritise customer experience to enhance business outcomes across multiple channels by connecting the crucial dots between people, information and systems. To achieve these objectives, senior executives are turning to cloud computing as an essential strategic driver: Cloud is perceived as a powerful technological enabler for business transformation as well as innovation, opening up fresh opportunities to review and pivot business models and deepen customer engagement.
Cloud as the driving engine of future enterprise For many enterprises, incorporating a cloud infrastructure in their systems is inevitable. However, what could adopting cloud as a strategy mean for businesses? Today, many small and medium enterprises are turning to cloud computing services and external providers to unlock greater value from their computing resources. This trend is complemented by the rapid growth in the number of cloud services, which results in the significant enablement and creation of customised cloud services that can address even the most sophisticated business and organisational requirements. This ability to tap into network, storage and computer power on demand enables a faster go-to-market path — with little upfront cost. Thanks to the ubiquity of cloud, it is unsurprising that all organisations have started to use cloud services, in one form or another, particularly Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions. Besides SaaS solutions, organisations looking to create a competitive edge by building their own applications can adopt Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) for active use. Instead of having their own computing infrastructure or data centres, companies can now rent access to anything from applications to storage from a Malaysian-owned cloud service provider, i.e. TM ONE. Another major benefit of using cloud computing services is that businesses can sidestep the cost and complexity of owning and maintaining their own information technology (IT) infrastructure, and just pay for “what they use, when they use it”.
In addition, using cloud services delivers more efficient utilisation of IT resources, lowers IT infrastructure and operational costs, as well as increases the capacity to handle peaks in demand for IT resources, such as web applications and services. In an enterprise environment, cloud computing equates to a safer computing environment, through the use of virtual servers, which reduces the risk of an on-site intruder attack on physical storage devices within a data centre. Using cloud services also eliminates bottlenecks that typically occur with the configuration, expansion and replacement of traditional on-premise IT systems and components as this is replaced through virtualisation by a flexible IT infrastructure, which can be expanded or contracted on demand. Cloud computing also nullifies many typical challenges posed by localised power grid interruptions, physical data loss due to catastrophic events and malicious on-site attacks to the IT infrastructure. The cloud computing framework provides the optimal environment for faster, safer and cheaper delivery of IT services within an enterprise. Originally, cloud services delivered the staples: computing, networking, storage, databases, platforms and applications. Today, the cloud has evolved into a vital foundation for new frontier technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain. On top of that, industry platforms are also emerging, that is, vertical specific cloud solutions tailored to industry needs.
The right cloud brings the future closer However, the reality of evaluating and selecting the best from all the major cloud service vendors is a little more complex. A digital enterprise will most likely adopt a multi-cloud approach, leveraging the best from the various cloud service providers — and also as a precaution against the dreaded vendor lock-in! The International Data Corp (IDC) estimates that, by next year, more than 90% of enterprises worldwide will rely on a mix of on-premises/dedicated private clouds, several public clouds and legacy platforms to meet their infrastructure needs. However, astute leaders will note that a heterogeneous multi-cloud environment requires specific sets of expertise from the operations and security teams — especially in cloud inventory management, which demands strict tracking of a company’s cloud inventory and workloads at all times. For enterprises yet to build this expertise, working with a cloud aggregator — who understands the complexities and can offer professional services to ease their multi-cloud adoption — will help to seamlessly and flexibly leverage the different cloud mix most appropriate to fluctuating workloads. Many organisations may also need to adhere to data residency requirements, and this means selecting a cloud service provider that can offer hosting in a data centre in Malaysia. As many cloud service providers may offer similar services, it is important that organisations takes stock and assess their IT environment to achieve an optimal move to the cloud. Key considerations are cloud design, architecture and security of the data intended for hosting on the cloud. At TM ONE, our Cloud (pronounced as Cloud Alpha) service benefits from our partnership with all the major cloud service providers, end-to-end digital infrastructure and capabilities, including our Tier III certified data centre located within Malaysia, as well as our industry experts to proactively ensure that we are able to facilitate a smooth and secure journey to the cloud for our enterprise and public sector customers.
Looking ahead with the cloud There has never been a better time for enterprises to seize the opportunities for recovery and growth by tapping cloud computing’s full potential. The pivot to cloud computing mirrors the transition from an all-paper era to computerised systems, or from desktop to mobile. Cloud is simply the next vital step into the rapidly transforming IR4.0 era. Capitalising on a cloud infrastructure equates to flexibility, and early adopters will be the agile leaders of the pack and best positioned to reap the most rewards. As with any change, leaders need to consider factors such as needs capability building, developing expertise and instilling familiarity. Senior executives are now in the daunting yet exciting position of being able to determine how the organisation will transform into a future enterprise, and any hesitation may well leave the company in the dust. As I always tell my peers:
TM to stay lean with RM500mil opex cut.... sounds like good time spending like nobody business. Lol. Worst payment platform, always wait.... after paid, prompted not successful, then received sms said paid successful. Management goyang kaki looks like.
Will the market crash if budget 2021 cannot be passed this coming Thursday (26/10/2020)? These are the 4 possible scenarios:
1. Parliament will be dissolved and a snap election will be called 2. A state of Emergency in the whole country will be declared by YDPA 3. Muhyiddin will resign and YDPA will appoint an interim PM 4. YDPA will appoint a new PM who has majority MPs support. A new budget 2021 also will be tabled by the new appointed PM.
Will the market go down? Will it crash? Take profit now or wait?
Malaysia to muscle in on cable maintenance in its waters SUBMARINE cable installation and maintenance is an extremely niche industry but several Malaysian companies have craved out a place for themselves.
They include Optic Marine Group and iFACTORS Sdn Bhd.
The larger brother here is Optic Marine, which has four cable ships and two barges capable of working all over the world to lay both power and data cables.
iFACTORS is backed by shareholders with previous experience in the optical fibre submarine cable industry, and has evolved from a telecommunication system integrator to a company providing niche solution in the provision of maintenance and implementation of submarine cable network.
Founded by Datuk Lim Soon Foo in the 1980s, Optic Marine is now fully capable of providing a complete range of services for the submarine cable industry, ranging from installation to scheduled maintenance to emergency repairs.
In an interview, Optic Marine said it has systematically built its assets and expertise over the years with the aim of carving out a larger slice of the pie.
However, it is also of the opinion that the whole of Malaysia must also pull its weight to create what it called a thriving ecosystem of the submarine cable industry.
“For example, in the Phillippines, which practices cabotage, the permit approval times are very short,” said Ronnie Lim, group chief executive officer for the Optic Marine Group.
“In places like Japan, South Korea and other developed countries, cabotage still exists, yet the entire difference is due to the existence of an ecosystem such as cable storage facilities.
“Here, we still have to sail elsewhere to pick up our cable supply before we can carry on with our work,” said Ronnie, who added that his company would like to invest in a cable depot here in order to improve response time and security.
Optic Marine plans to cut down its response time for cable repairs in Malaysian waters by procuring a ship that will be registered in the country.
“With the appropriate ecosystem, response time and costs can be brought down significantly as we support the region as well as the country,” said Ronnie, whose company owns four cable ships and two barges. Its first Malaysian-flagged barge was bought in 2015.
“We invested heavily for our planned growth that began from zero. It took us many years to grow to this stage,” he said, adding that if Malaysia could not rise up to the challenge, then its cable maintenance industry may end up being dominated by “countries wiling to put in the work to create the ecosystem”.
Citing data from the International Cable Protection Committee up to 2018, Optic Marine said many countries were able to create competitive cable maintenance companies within their respective cabotage regimes.
“You can see that the response time (for permitting) in Japan, the Philippines and South Korea are not impacted at all. On our part, we support the optimisation of the domestic shipping licence application process for both Malaysian and foreign players as we believe it will stimulate more competition and spur efficiency.
“This will provide the push for the creation of that ecosystem so that Malaysia can be a hub of the region. You cannot be a hub without having an ecosystem,” said Ronnie.
“If you are not cost-effective, they (telcos) will not take you,” he added.
Currently, Malaysian companies have to compete with Singapore’s Asean Cableship (ACPL), a joint venture of six Asean telecommunications companies incorporated in 1986, and is now one of the strong contenders for repairs and maintenance jobs in South-East Asia and the Indian Ocean. The other players competing in this space are SBSS China, Korean Telecom Submarine, Global Marine Systems, KCS Japan and NTTWEM Japan, with vessels flagged according to the jurisdiction of operation areas.
Yong Fah Choong, project director for the submarine division of Jati Tinggi Holding Sdn Bhd, an infrastructure construction company, said the factors that matter to cable and infrastructure owners lies in the responsiveness of the service provider, on the back of reasonable cost.
“Cable owners want the job to be done quickly and at a fair price,” said Yong, whose company has undertaken turnkey projects for many telcos as well as Tenaga Nasional Bhd as both main and sub-contractors.
“Malaysian cable contractors are on par with foreign crew in terms of competency or vessels when it comes to equipment. Ultimately, it will be all down to speed of delivery and cost when it comes to considering who will get the job.”
