| < Prev |
|---|
Information & Communications Technology (ICT) has been identified as one of the priority areas for development under the 9th Malaysia Plan. Further, the first thrust of the National Mission is to move the economy up the value chain, where the Government aims to increase the value added of existing economic areas as well as generate new knowledge-intensive activities and employment in ICT, biotechnology and services.
ICT will continue to play an important role as a catalyst in the implementation of national economic plans. The development of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) will be accelerated to further boost the ICT industry. Cyberjaya will continue to be developed to become a major national ICT hub.
BUDGET 2008 HIGHLIGHTS
As reported in the Prime Minister’s Budget 2008 speech, the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) initiative has entered its 11th year of implementation. The local ICT industry has become increasingly successful in developing world-class products and services, and Malaysian ICT companies are ready to penetrate the global market. The Government will support this effort by intensifying international promotion efforts to enable domestic MSC companies to secure more international projects.
To further promote MSC internationally, the Government will host the World ICT Week in Kuala Lumpur in May 2008. Various international ICT conferences and exhibitions will be held, including the World Congress on Information Technology 2008, the conference on United Nations Global Alliance on ICT for Development and MSC International Advisory Panel Meeting. More than 5,000 domestic and international participants are expected to take part in these programmes. It is hoped that more international ICT companies will invest and collaborate with local companies.
Several measures will be taken to further enhance Cyberjaya’s attraction as a major Cyber City, able to attract world-class technology companies. This includes the construction of an international school, affordable homes as well as increasing the security level in Cyberjaya.
To ensure an adequate supply of high-skilled workers to meet the demand of the ICT industry, a Knowledge Workers Development Institute will be established in Cyberjaya. The MSC Malaysia Digital Animation Centre will be set up in Cyberjaya, to support the development of the digital animation industry as well as increase local expertise in the area.
Under Budget 2008, tax deduction will be given to employers on benefits in kind in the form of new computers and payment of broadband subscription fees for employees. Such benefits in kind received by the employees will also be tax exempt.
INDUSTRY NEWS
One of the main goals of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) is to catalyse and nurture a competitive cluster of Malaysian ICT/multimedia companies that will become world class over time. In line with this objective, a total sum of RM120 million has been allocated for the MSC Malaysia Research and Development Grant Scheme (MGS) to support R&D initiatives within the MSC. Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) has been entrusted to manage the grant and oversee the progress and completion of funded projects.
The ICT industry has experienced a revolutionary surge in the advancement of technology which has resulted in the converging of the broadcasting and IT industries. This has called for the implementation of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998 and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission Act (MCMCA) 1998 by the Malaysian Government. These new Acts have been articulated around the principles of transparency, clarity and industry self-regulation.
Services over the cellular networks include Short Messaging Services (SMS), Voicemail and Calling Line Identification as well as Internet access with Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and General Packet Radio Services (GPRS). The cellular network has grown rapidly, from 200,000 subscribers in 1990 to over 21.2 million subscribers in the 2nd quarter of 2007.
At the network infrastructure front, trunk and switched network technologies are fully digitized. Among the technologies deployed are fibre optics, SDH, ATM, ADSL, and other extended wireless bandwidths that provide high capacities and speed for voice and data transmission.
Malaysia is now also linked to the rest of the world by more than 10,000 international circuits via submarine, satellites, microwave and other landline infrastructure. ISDN and ADSL have been extensively deployed nationwide to support the demand for bandwidth.
In March 2007, the Government awarded 2.3GHz WiMAX spectrum licences for the provision of broadband wireless access services to four companies, namely MIB Comm Sdn Bhd, Bizsurf (M) Sdn Bhd, Asiaspace Dotcom Sdn Bhd and REDtone-CNX Broadband Sdn Bhd. These companies are now in the midst of rolling out their WiMAX services.
MSC Malaysia to Give Businesses the Edge in Global ICT Market
Integrated changes in governance and policies, revolutions of economies, paradigm shifts in education and increased standards of living – all these have reshaped a continent long reliant on primer resources – Malaysia.
Today, Malaysia is the home base for many world-renowned names. USA’s HP, India’s Satyam, Japan’s NTT, China’s SINA, Hong Kong’s Huawei and Malaysia’s MEASAT Broadcast are world-class companies garnering increased respect and revenue in their particular fields. In a recent world ICT index, MSC Malaysia has the privilege of being the highest ranked amongst other initiatives by the developing nations.
MSC Malaysia is quite a champion. It has been the world’s best kept secret when it comes to ICT solutions and services with award-winning technology and service providers creating Solutions for the World.
Thanks in large to the agency entrusted to promote and develop Malaysia’s ICT industry, MDeC (Multimedia Development Corporation), these Malaysian-based and MSC Malaysia Status companies have been able to present their technologies, products and services either to home audience or to markets abroad. To them, MSC Malaysia is their catalyst to the global platform of ICT and multimedia opportunities.
An example is MSC Malaysia’s world’s first 100% secure chip-based multipurpose smart card has a global market demand reaching RM700 million. Local prodigy MSC Malaysia-status company IRIS Corporation now exports to the governments of Turkey, Thailand, Bahrain, and the Bahamas amongst others.
IRIS was honoured among the industry elite just recently when its mobile terminal ST4ex has been named as the winner for the Best Identification application at the Sesame 2007 awards, held in conjunction with CARTES 2007, a world leading event in digital security, smart card and identification.
The ceremony held in Paris, France saw the ST4ex beats 26 other innovations vying for the category. The SESAMES Awards are well known as the unchallenged innovation labels and global standards for card manufacturers and related industries.
e-security technologies are another global favourite, with export of consultancy and construction services to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, China and Dubai.
Malaysia’s success at boosting public sector efficiency as well as facilitating better access to information and services for its citizens has also caught the world’s attention. MSC Malaysia is now helping the Saudi Arabian city of Medina with the implementation of the e-Government system, to create an intelligent city emulating Cyberjaya.
Getting a slice of the creative multimedia industry’s global market of USD644 billion has also proven quite comfortable for MSC Malaysia. Home grown talents have garnered partnerships, investments and purchases of their interactive games, film, animation works, At the recent MIPTV 2007 trade fair in Cannes, 30 Malaysian creative content companies had successfully secured deals worth over RM200 million with global industry players. Malaysian creative works in Saladin, the first ever animated series also won accolades in Japan and Korea.
It is worth to note that these are just some of the recent examples of the strength of solutions within MSC Malaysia. MSC Malaysia is poised to offer businesses with world-class solutions that give them the edge.
STATISTICS
According to the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), there were 1.1 million broadband subscriptions at the 2nd quarter of 2007. The figure for Internet dial-up subscriptions was 3.9 million, representing a penetration rate of 14.2% with an estimated 11.6 million users as at the 2nd quarter of 2007.
ICT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
The contemporary telecommunications products and services such as SMS, cordless phones, voice mail, conferencing equipment, videoconferencing, leased voice circuit and many others are revolutionizing communication, interaction and business transaction among SMIs.
SMS: SMS (Short Messaging Service) has proven to be conducive for business transactions as information and figures can be retrieved and stored for future reference by the receiver. Among its other benefits, is that the messages can be sent without the phone being answered. This is possible through the storage of undelivered messages and resending capabilities. Certain SMS services allow users to access handy information such as flight information services, taxi services, hotels, account balances, etc.
Cordless Phones: Radio waves and wires transmit signals in cordless phones and prove to be handy for busy executives who move around the office or factory floor. Choose cordless phones with higher frequencies as they are less prone to static interference and have longer calling ranges. Other desirable features include multi-channel and low-battery indicator.
Voice Mail: A voice mail system records, stores and plays messages from people both inside and outside the company. Linked to the phone system, it allows each user access to an individual mailbox which minimises missed calls and ensures that calls are answered in the absence of the recipient.
Conferencing Equipment: This facility allows several people to listen in and talk to a caller simultaneously, with the equipment operating in full-duplex mode, enabling both parties to speak at the same time. Important considerations when choosing conferencing equipment are compatibility with phone systems and sound quality.
ISDN: The Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is a highly innovative telecommunications network that enables voice data, text and image to be transmitted over a single phone line. With a transmission speed of 128Kbps, this digital technology assures you of high speed, high quality and reliability.
Video conferencing: Video conferencing enables you to talk and confer with another person anywhere in the world via a monitor. For example, Telekom Malaysia has public videoconferencing centres in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor Bahru, Kuantan, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu that are connected to Australia, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom and USA.
Leased voice circuit: Popularly known as ‘Hotline’. This is a voice-grade circuit normally connected on telephones at both ends to allow for the transmission of speech. A leased voice circuit is particularly suitable for companies needing speedy and frequent communications between two fixed offices.
Mobile Email: With the latest technology advancement, users can now connect and communicate via email from any remote area through their mobile phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). This service has been made available by most network service providers.
Wireless Fidelity (WiFi): The current internet development offers WiFi services, using the wireless 802.11b Internet access standard, whereby a user can connect to the Internet via wireless connection through their personal computer or laptop. This can usually be done at places that offer WiFi coverage, usually known as ‘hotspots’.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
VoIP technology enables users to make calls over the Internet. Such calls are generally less costly or even provided free, because they are not made through traditional telephone networks, which are heavily regulated and taxed. Thus, VoIP is cannibalising the fixed-line market.
