’UniFi’ to bring in more investments

29 July 2010 , By New Straits Times

ISKANDAR Malaysia is poised to attract more investors with the RM1.9 billion project by Telekom Malaysia Berhad to upgrade broadband services in the growth corridor in the next 10 years.

Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the development of communication technology involving high- speed broadband is a crucial element for Iskandar Malaysia to attract more investors.

He said the state government was very grateful for TM’s initiative to improve the broadband service in Iskandar Malaysia.

“It is important for this infrastructure to be available to all levels of society at the villages, schools or housing estates,” he said when officiating the TM sports carnival at Dataran Bandaraya Johor Baru on July 23.

Also present were TM Group chief executive officer Datuk Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa.

Some 1,500 TM employees took part in the three-day event, involving 10 sports that ended on July 23.

He said the high-speed broadband infrastructure in the new development areas of Nusajaya, Permas Jaya industrial area and Senai were expected to be completed by the year’s end.

He said industrial areas in Skudai, Pasir Gudang and Tampoi would receive high-speed broadband, which is named as “UniFi” under TM, by 2012.

“Until now, TM has 117 telephone substations in Johor and provides telephone lines for 512,000 residential and commercial customers.

“TM’s Streamyx broadband has more than 186,000 customers while there are another 169 Streamyx zones in the state,” he said,

All these facilities represent a 33 per cent broadband penetration in Johor. For rural areas, TM provided wireless telephone services under Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and is enjoyed by 7,200 customers.