Just minutes after Maxis Bhd seals a 10 year deal to buy capacity on Telekom Malaysia Bhd's Unifi, Time dotCom Bhd and DiGi.Com Bhd decides that they should do something similar.
DiGi has dished out RM139mil contract to Time to build a fiber optic network over a 10 year period.
All boils to fibre, will it be the game changer in the future?These two cellular giants are getting serious with fibre, wonder what is Celcom Axiata doing?
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Set things right in the telecoms industry
SO much has been said by so many people over the past month or so about the way some things are done in the country's telecoms industry.
The hot talk from coffee tables to the blogosphere, the mainstream media and brought up in Parliament included:
● the way nine companies were assigned the 2.6Ghz or 4G LTE spectrum recently;
● the RMbil netbook scheme;
● the allocation and usage of the RM4bil USP fund; and
● the one that caught even the Prime Minister's eye allegations that one party is allowed to hog a large chunk of the 700Mhz spectrum band.
People are expressing their views whether via the mainstream media or blogs and some of the things they are saying cannot be ignored.
Some, unfortunately, went to the extreme. What with all the mud-slinging, even the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission was dragged in.
Malaysians will say a resounding ‘Yes’ to more transparency in the country’s telecoms industry, including the awarding of spectrum. Had there be more transparency from the onset, could things have panned out differently? Damage control is not easy and some parties attempting this just seem to be failing miserably.
Whilst we understand the Government's perspective in delivering things for the rakyat and perhaps those involved got over-zealous in trying to get the latest technology to connecting too fast and too wide, the policy-makers should have taken a moment to ponder on what is really needed to go forward.
There are lessons to be learnt from this episode; it depends on whether one is willing to listen and make the changes.
A case in point is the award of nine spectra to nine companies. This begs a question are we opening the floodgates for a rationalisation? Previously, seven spectra were dished out and the mobile industry was forced to consolidate to three players.
Spectrum awards should be put to test after market assessment rather than letting the market absorb the number of players, and seriously, do we really need nine to serve 28 million people?
Now that we have rushed to 4G, has someone taken stock of what spectrum has been used thus far and how much of it has been used to provide services to the rakyat?
Giving out computers is a noble thing initiated by the Government. But the Government got a lot of flak as allegations mounted that some of those who got the computers free, sold them.
Perhaps some units were given to the wrong people but we cannot build a society on that premise. We need a proper approach to ensure delivery only to the deserving and those who will appreciate the netbooks.
It is plain truth that there is a need for a common infrastructure so that all players can use it. For the growth and benefit of the industry, a single party should not be running a common infrastructure. Does this need to be re-told, over and over again, and do we need to rush to do things again?
As for the USP fund, it was a great idea. It is noble to bridge the digital divide but has someone done real checks in the remote places to see if the money has been well spent before more is pumped to fund expansion? Checks and balances are vital so that the rural folks also get on the Web.
The Government wants the best for the rakyat in terms of technology so we cannot afford a confusing state of affairs.
All the brouhaha should serve as lessons to move forward. It is imperative that the views of the rakyat be taken seriously. There should be pooling of resources and most critical of all, that there be transparency all the way.
No way should we repeat a rationalisation exercise and that is the route the younger generation wants to avoid as they'd rather be going forward than consolidating and doing damage control.
● Deputy news editor B.K. Sidhu hopes to learn something new everyday.
(Published in The Star on Dec 10, 2010 - Friday Reflections By B.K. Sidhu))
The hot talk from coffee tables to the blogosphere, the mainstream media and brought up in Parliament included:
● the way nine companies were assigned the 2.6Ghz or 4G LTE spectrum recently;
● the RMbil netbook scheme;
● the allocation and usage of the RM4bil USP fund; and
● the one that caught even the Prime Minister's eye allegations that one party is allowed to hog a large chunk of the 700Mhz spectrum band.
People are expressing their views whether via the mainstream media or blogs and some of the things they are saying cannot be ignored.
Some, unfortunately, went to the extreme. What with all the mud-slinging, even the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission was dragged in.
Malaysians will say a resounding ‘Yes’ to more transparency in the country’s telecoms industry, including the awarding of spectrum. Whilst we understand the Government's perspective in delivering things for the rakyat and perhaps those involved got over-zealous in trying to get the latest technology to connecting too fast and too wide, the policy-makers should have taken a moment to ponder on what is really needed to go forward.
There are lessons to be learnt from this episode; it depends on whether one is willing to listen and make the changes.
A case in point is the award of nine spectra to nine companies. This begs a question are we opening the floodgates for a rationalisation? Previously, seven spectra were dished out and the mobile industry was forced to consolidate to three players.
Spectrum awards should be put to test after market assessment rather than letting the market absorb the number of players, and seriously, do we really need nine to serve 28 million people?
Now that we have rushed to 4G, has someone taken stock of what spectrum has been used thus far and how much of it has been used to provide services to the rakyat?
Giving out computers is a noble thing initiated by the Government. But the Government got a lot of flak as allegations mounted that some of those who got the computers free, sold them.
Perhaps some units were given to the wrong people but we cannot build a society on that premise. We need a proper approach to ensure delivery only to the deserving and those who will appreciate the netbooks.
It is plain truth that there is a need for a common infrastructure so that all players can use it. For the growth and benefit of the industry, a single party should not be running a common infrastructure. Does this need to be re-told, over and over again, and do we need to rush to do things again?
As for the USP fund, it was a great idea. It is noble to bridge the digital divide but has someone done real checks in the remote places to see if the money has been well spent before more is pumped to fund expansion? Checks and balances are vital so that the rural folks also get on the Web.
The Government wants the best for the rakyat in terms of technology so we cannot afford a confusing state of affairs.
All the brouhaha should serve as lessons to move forward. It is imperative that the views of the rakyat be taken seriously. There should be pooling of resources and most critical of all, that there be transparency all the way.
No way should we repeat a rationalisation exercise and that is the route the younger generation wants to avoid as they'd rather be going forward than consolidating and doing damage control.
● Deputy news editor B.K. Sidhu hopes to learn something new everyday.
(Published in The Star on Dec 10, 2010 - Friday Reflections By B.K. Sidhu))
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Mine with caution: Lives at stake
A miracle was what New Zealanders had sought since the Pike River coal mine blast last Friday. Even Prime Minister John Key was hoping for a miracle.
But 118 hours and 52 minutes after the first blast, a bigger blast shattered any hopes or dreams the New Zealanders had. Many people are just devasted after the second blast on Wednesday.
At the beginning of this week most newspapers carried the words hope and prayer'' in their headlines but yesterday, those changed to mourning and darkest hour.''
The front page of the New Zealand Herald was in black yesterday with the stories and pictures of families crying, while The Dominion Post's front page was in black too, with pictures of all the 29 miners and the headline Our Darkest Hour.''
The TV stations aired live feeds of the twice-daily press conferences since the first disaster and updates every now and then.
The Pike River coal mine blast is a major catastrophe that has gripped the nation. Wherever you go people just want to know the latest and the newspapers and TV stations are running around to provide updates.
You cannot blame people for hoping for a miracle as New Zealand has a population of only 4.5 million people, of whom one million are tourists. This is a country where the sheep population over 45 million far surpasses that of humans.
That aside, getting the miners out alive after the first blast had slim chances of success and as NZ Herald put it in its editorial yesterday: It is unlikely anyone could have survived the second explosion which was bigger than the first and if anyone survived the first blast they would have succumbed to carbon monoxide later.''
This is the second disaster to strike the country since Christchurch was hit with an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 on Sept 4.
It is also the worst disaster in three decades since 257 people died when an Air New Zealand flight crashed into Mt Erebus in November 1979.
Of the 29 miners who would have been entombed in the 2.5km underground mine, the biggest number were New Zealanders, but there were also British, Australian and South African nationals.
The coal mine operated by Pike River Coal Ltd is said to be the country's largest underground coal mine.
Following this disaster, what's next?
For families who have lost their loved ones, the newspapers are talking about recovery.'' It is not going to be easy for the family members but that may be the only route to take let go and move on.
The good thing about Australia, New Zealand and some other countries is their solid base in counselling as counselling helps in coping with grief and depression.
But the solution does not lie in counselling, or compensation and help with the funeral expenses for the families. There will be questions as to whether Pike River had been operating according to standards specified in the country.
Since the mine was in a national park, there will also be queries as to whether the environment had been compromised.
New Zealand takes a lot of pride in conservation and sustainability and it believes in recycling efforts to preserve the environment. Could there have been a breach somewhere and could the blast have been avoided in the first place?
Coal extraction is a dangerous business and there is a human cost. When something goes wrong, the cost is not just in dollars and cents, it is about people's lives for which there is no replacement.
Not long ago there was the Chilean mine tragedy, now it is New Zealand and who knows where next.
The question is: are companies going to allow humans to perish because they need to meet demand for more coal or will something drastic be done to change the way mining for coal is carried out so that lives are not compromised?
Deputy news editor B.K. Sidhu, who is in Auckland, is saddened by the incident.
(Published in The Star on Nov 26, 2010 - Friday Reflections with B.K. Sidhu)
But 118 hours and 52 minutes after the first blast, a bigger blast shattered any hopes or dreams the New Zealanders had. Many people are just devasted after the second blast on Wednesday.
At the beginning of this week most newspapers carried the words hope and prayer'' in their headlines but yesterday, those changed to mourning and darkest hour.''
The front page of the New Zealand Herald was in black yesterday with the stories and pictures of families crying, while The Dominion Post's front page was in black too, with pictures of all the 29 miners and the headline Our Darkest Hour.''
The TV stations aired live feeds of the twice-daily press conferences since the first disaster and updates every now and then.
The Pike River coal mine blast is a major catastrophe that has gripped the nation. Wherever you go people just want to know the latest and the newspapers and TV stations are running around to provide updates.
You cannot blame people for hoping for a miracle as New Zealand has a population of only 4.5 million people, of whom one million are tourists. This is a country where the sheep population over 45 million far surpasses that of humans.
That aside, getting the miners out alive after the first blast had slim chances of success and as NZ Herald put it in its editorial yesterday: It is unlikely anyone could have survived the second explosion which was bigger than the first and if anyone survived the first blast they would have succumbed to carbon monoxide later.''
This is the second disaster to strike the country since Christchurch was hit with an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 on Sept 4.
It is also the worst disaster in three decades since 257 people died when an Air New Zealand flight crashed into Mt Erebus in November 1979.
Of the 29 miners who would have been entombed in the 2.5km underground mine, the biggest number were New Zealanders, but there were also British, Australian and South African nationals.
The coal mine operated by Pike River Coal Ltd is said to be the country's largest underground coal mine.
Following this disaster, what's next?
For families who have lost their loved ones, the newspapers are talking about recovery.'' It is not going to be easy for the family members but that may be the only route to take let go and move on.
The good thing about Australia, New Zealand and some other countries is their solid base in counselling as counselling helps in coping with grief and depression.
But the solution does not lie in counselling, or compensation and help with the funeral expenses for the families. There will be questions as to whether Pike River had been operating according to standards specified in the country.
Since the mine was in a national park, there will also be queries as to whether the environment had been compromised.
New Zealand takes a lot of pride in conservation and sustainability and it believes in recycling efforts to preserve the environment. Could there have been a breach somewhere and could the blast have been avoided in the first place?
Coal extraction is a dangerous business and there is a human cost. When something goes wrong, the cost is not just in dollars and cents, it is about people's lives for which there is no replacement.
Not long ago there was the Chilean mine tragedy, now it is New Zealand and who knows where next.
The question is: are companies going to allow humans to perish because they need to meet demand for more coal or will something drastic be done to change the way mining for coal is carried out so that lives are not compromised?
(Published in The Star on Nov 26, 2010 - Friday Reflections with B.K. Sidhu)
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Tokyo as low as RM99 one way
AIRASIA X will fly to Haneda airport, its 12th destination, on December 9 and is offering promotional fares of RM99 one way from KL to Tokyo. Booking period is from 23 to 26 September 2010 for travel from Dec 9, 2010 to July 31, 2011.
It will be flying three non-stop weekly services between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo. Its other destinations are in Australia, India, Taiwan, China, Europe and Korea.
It will be flying three non-stop weekly services between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo. Its other destinations are in Australia, India, Taiwan, China, Europe and Korea.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Perak MB: No relocation for airport
IPOH: The state government has no plans to relocate the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport here.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said with this, the proposed RM60mil upgrading of the airport would go on as planned.
He added the state government was also mulling the possibility of setting up another international airport elsewhere in the state.
Some quarters have stated that the current location of the airport is very strategic and can act as a catalyst for the city’s economy.
“Therefore, the state government is of the opinion that the upgrading of the airport should be continued to enable small-sized aircraft to land,” he told reporters after chairing the state exco meeting here on Wednesday.
Dr Zambry was responding to statements made by an MCA special committee set up to gather feedback on the proposed Ipoh Draft Local Plan 2020, which had recommended that the airport be relocated.
The committee’s chairman Datuk Yik Phooi Hong had said that the airport should be moved to Seri Iskandar, which had been earmarked as a possible site for a new airport.
Yik had said Seri Iskandar was an ideal location as it was situated between Lumut and here, two of Perak’s tourist attractions.
His deputy, San Chak Chun was reported as saying that the Government should not waste RM60mil to upgrade the airport here but should put the money to better use elsewhere since it had not contributed much to the growth of the city.
On the possibility of setting up an international airport, Dr Zambry said the state has been in discussions with a private company to develop such an infrastructure to serve as an aviation hub for the northern area.
“This is, however, still in the planning stage. I will make my announcement in due time,” he said without disclosing the location of the proposed development.
(Published in The Star on Sept 9, 2010)
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said with this, the proposed RM60mil upgrading of the airport would go on as planned.
He added the state government was also mulling the possibility of setting up another international airport elsewhere in the state.
Some quarters have stated that the current location of the airport is very strategic and can act as a catalyst for the city’s economy.
“Therefore, the state government is of the opinion that the upgrading of the airport should be continued to enable small-sized aircraft to land,” he told reporters after chairing the state exco meeting here on Wednesday.
Dr Zambry was responding to statements made by an MCA special committee set up to gather feedback on the proposed Ipoh Draft Local Plan 2020, which had recommended that the airport be relocated.
The committee’s chairman Datuk Yik Phooi Hong had said that the airport should be moved to Seri Iskandar, which had been earmarked as a possible site for a new airport.
Yik had said Seri Iskandar was an ideal location as it was situated between Lumut and here, two of Perak’s tourist attractions.
His deputy, San Chak Chun was reported as saying that the Government should not waste RM60mil to upgrade the airport here but should put the money to better use elsewhere since it had not contributed much to the growth of the city.
On the possibility of setting up an international airport, Dr Zambry said the state has been in discussions with a private company to develop such an infrastructure to serve as an aviation hub for the northern area.
“This is, however, still in the planning stage. I will make my announcement in due time,” he said without disclosing the location of the proposed development.
(Published in The Star on Sept 9, 2010)
Astro TV conducting IPTV trials with Time dotCom
PETALING JAYA: With Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) venturing into the broadcasting business with its IPTV (internet protocol TV) offering, Astro TV is not about to let any of its market share slip by without a fight.
It is learnt that Astro TV is conducting trials for its IPTV offering in Mont Kiara by riding on Time dotCom Bhd’s (TDC) fibre optic fast-speed network.
Astro TV needs an IPTV platform and if it were to wait till sister company Maxis Communications Bhd completes its network build-up, that may well give TM an edge in some places.
Hence, the trials with TDC which began at the end of July involving about 100 users.
Sources said this was a technical trial for the Astro b.yond to determine if the network was able to carry enough video content at fast speed. TDC is providing the GPON infrastructure for the trials.
A GPON access network not only enables telcos to build and support video services, but provides the ability to scale the network to deliver any bandwidth-hungry services such as HDTV (high definition TV) and VOD (video on demand), an IP-based broadband video service.
Astro needs a minimum of 15-20 megabits per second (Mbps) for content delivery and TDC’s network can provide up to 100Mbps. Sources said trial users were able to watch all of Astro’s programmes in HD and 3D quality.
The trials make TDC a potential contender for access to Astro besides Maxis. However, since TDC only focuses on multi-dwellings such as condominiums and apartments blocks, its reach may be limited. TDC finds it too costly to focus on fibre to the home as done by TM.
TM is bundling IPTV with its high-speed broadband service known as Unifi. But content will remain the differentiating factor in the IPTV business. For now, Astro has rights to loads of content but don’t underestimate TM as it is tying to link up with a lot of content providers to make its IPTV proposition appealing.
Maxis, on the other hand, is working overtime to get a fast-speed Internet network up. It has appointed Huawei as the exclusive supplier for the next generation network. Maxis said the job would also include the building and managing of a full-service Fibre To The X network using GPON technologies.
Maxis has also conducted trails for IPTV involving 50-odd users during the recent World Cup.
Whether Astro will need more than one player to deliver its IPTV content is unclear but Maxis certainly is building a fibre optic network in its quest to become a quad player and it will have to rely on content from Astro.
(by B.K. Sidhu)
(Published in The Star on Sept 9, 2010)
It is learnt that Astro TV is conducting trials for its IPTV offering in Mont Kiara by riding on Time dotCom Bhd’s (TDC) fibre optic fast-speed network.
Astro TV needs an IPTV platform and if it were to wait till sister company Maxis Communications Bhd completes its network build-up, that may well give TM an edge in some places.
Hence, the trials with TDC which began at the end of July involving about 100 users.
Sources said this was a technical trial for the Astro b.yond to determine if the network was able to carry enough video content at fast speed. TDC is providing the GPON infrastructure for the trials.
A GPON access network not only enables telcos to build and support video services, but provides the ability to scale the network to deliver any bandwidth-hungry services such as HDTV (high definition TV) and VOD (video on demand), an IP-based broadband video service.
Astro needs a minimum of 15-20 megabits per second (Mbps) for content delivery and TDC’s network can provide up to 100Mbps. Sources said trial users were able to watch all of Astro’s programmes in HD and 3D quality.
The trials make TDC a potential contender for access to Astro besides Maxis. However, since TDC only focuses on multi-dwellings such as condominiums and apartments blocks, its reach may be limited. TDC finds it too costly to focus on fibre to the home as done by TM.
TM is bundling IPTV with its high-speed broadband service known as Unifi. But content will remain the differentiating factor in the IPTV business. For now, Astro has rights to loads of content but don’t underestimate TM as it is tying to link up with a lot of content providers to make its IPTV proposition appealing.
Maxis, on the other hand, is working overtime to get a fast-speed Internet network up. It has appointed Huawei as the exclusive supplier for the next generation network. Maxis said the job would also include the building and managing of a full-service Fibre To The X network using GPON technologies.
Maxis has also conducted trails for IPTV involving 50-odd users during the recent World Cup.
Whether Astro will need more than one player to deliver its IPTV content is unclear but Maxis certainly is building a fibre optic network in its quest to become a quad player and it will have to rely on content from Astro.
(by B.K. Sidhu)
(Published in The Star on Sept 9, 2010)
Initial analysis of Qantas' failed Rolls-Royce engine completed
Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has completed preliminary analysis of a Qantas Airways Rolls-Royce RB211 engine that experienced an uncontained failure in mid-flight.
It is shipping the engine to a facility in Hong Kong for a "detailed disassembly and examination, under the supervision of ATSB investigators", says the bureau.
On 30 August, engine number four of the Rolls-Royce RB211 powered Boeing 747-400 failed shortly after the aircraft took off from San Francisco airport for Sydney.
The failure was mechanical in nature and uncontained, and ejected material punctured a hole in the outboard engine and damaged the aircraft's leading edge flaps. The aircraft returned to San Francisco after the flight crew dumped fuel. No one was injured in the incident.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, says the ATSB. This includes detailed analysis of recorded flight data, aircraft maintenance documentation and interviews with crew members and passengers, says the bureau.
The aircraft, registration VH-OJP, was built in 1992, according to Flightglobal's ACAS database.
(Published in Flight Global on Sept 9, 2010)
It is shipping the engine to a facility in Hong Kong for a "detailed disassembly and examination, under the supervision of ATSB investigators", says the bureau.
On 30 August, engine number four of the Rolls-Royce RB211 powered Boeing 747-400 failed shortly after the aircraft took off from San Francisco airport for Sydney.
The failure was mechanical in nature and uncontained, and ejected material punctured a hole in the outboard engine and damaged the aircraft's leading edge flaps. The aircraft returned to San Francisco after the flight crew dumped fuel. No one was injured in the incident.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, says the ATSB. This includes detailed analysis of recorded flight data, aircraft maintenance documentation and interviews with crew members and passengers, says the bureau.
The aircraft, registration VH-OJP, was built in 1992, according to Flightglobal's ACAS database.
(Published in Flight Global on Sept 9, 2010)
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