TM ESTABLISHES ITS FIRST PRESENCE IN EGYPT THROUGH PARTNERSHIP WITH RAYA TELECOM

Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) today signed a partnership agreement with Raya, a leading telecom and IT company in the Middle East with headquartered in Egypt, to establish an Internet Protocol (IP) network infrastructure in Egypt. The agreement sees the establishment of international Virtual Private Network (VPN) using Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS), the latest telecommunication technology set up in Egypt.

With this technology, companies operating in Egypt will be able to communicate more efficiently in a secured environment. For the first time also, the companies will be able to conduct secured data exchange and direct video conferencing with their offices in Asia. Companies in Egypt can also customize the service to match their exact desired performance level at the right cost. Hence, they have the flexibility in managing their own network.

This entrance into the Egyptian market for IPVPN services will mark TM’s first significant presence to cater to a high volume of IP traffic destined to the North African market. Internationally, TM has presence in 12 countries and the Company’s aspiration is to be the leading regional operator, capable of offering comprehensive managed services to its customers.

For the signing ceremony, TM was represented by Dato’ Abdul Wahid Omar, Group Chief Executive Officer of TM and Dato’ Baharum Salleh, Chief Operating Officer, TM Wholesale. Raya Telecom was represented by Mr. Medhat Khalil, Chairman and CEO of Raya Holding and Mr Mohamed Fares, Managing Director of Raya Telecom. H.E. Dr. Tarek Kamel, Egypt’s Minister of Communications and IT witnessed the ceremony.

This partnership comes after an extensive study on the telecom companies in Egypt which resulted in the choosing of Raya Telecom based on its advanced network, large corporate clients base, company’s experience, and its team’s professionalism.

In a statement released simultaneously in Cairo and Kuala Lumpur today, Dato’ Abdul Wahid Omar said, “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.”

“Communications destined for Asia will now no longer have to transverse via other far continents. With our collaboration, we offer businesses both in Africa and Asia, a fully secured and robust global IPVPN network. TM and Raya Telecom, presents Asia to Egypt’s doorstep, just at a touch of a button,” he added.

Prior to the agreement, the companies in Egypt were connected to their branches in Asian countries either via Internet Protocol Leased Circuit (IPLC) Telephony – a former technology of networking, the Internet or a VPN to Asia passing through Europe.

According to Mohammad Fares, Managing Director of Raya Telecom, the partnership offers a reliable, fast, cost effective and secured connectivity alternative to businesses in Egypt. It improves business efficiency and eliminates the problem of data security, data delay and high cost.

TM is expanding its presence globally by developing nodes in countries where it has presence through its Regional Offices which are located at Singapore, Hong Kong, United Kingdom and USA as well as through TM International; TM’s international investment-holding subsidiary, which currently has interests in Singapore, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia. It also has selected investments in Africa namely Guinea and Malawi and also in countries where it could develop partnership with other foreign Telcos, for example Raya Telecom. Moving forward, TM will continue to look for avenues to expand its point of presence.


About TM
Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), a leading regional information and communications group, offers a comprehensive range of communication services and solutions in fixed-line, mobile, data and broadband. As one of the largest listed companies on Bursa Malaysia with an operating revenue of more than RM13 billion, TM is driven to deliver value to its stakeholders in a highly competitive environment.

The Group places emphasis on continuing customer service quality enhancements and innovations. Currently, with investments and operations in 12 countries around Asia and globally, TM is focused on sustainable growth in both the local and international markets.

For further information on TM, visit www.tm.com.my.


About Raya and Raya Telecom
Raya is an IT and telecommunications pioneer in the Middle East, with a workforce of more than 2100 professionals. Raya owns several subsidiaries operating in three different lines of business and professionally covering all aspects of IT and telecommunications.

Spanning infrastructure, e-business and outsourcing solutions and services, Raya's IT operations are focused on enriching the solutions portfolio, developing industry specific solutions, addressing new markets and advancing towards growing the software outsourcing business. The company's particular structure consists of autonomous subsidiaries in addition to several centralized support functions. As a holding company, Raya supports its diversified network by maximizing synergy between the sister companies encompassing new technologies, human power and strong market reach.

Raya Telecom, 87% owned by Raya Holding, and its affiliate companies located in Cairo are considered a leading Group in the world of IT and telecommunication in the Middle East. With a staff strength of 1000 employees, Raya Group offers world-class technology solutions and value added services. The Group was founded in 1999 and had since successfully completed numerous large-scale projects in the financial, business and government sectors, in addition to telecommunication and services networks.