TM Info-Media Sdn. Bhd. (TMIM), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) today signed three Memorandum of Collaborations with its partners namely International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), FlyFirefly Sdn. Bhd. (FlyFirely) and FriedChillies Media Sdn. Bhd. (FriedChillies) to publish the online versions of Halal Pages (e-Halal), Malaysia Tourist Pages (e-Holiday) and F&B outlets directory (e-Dining) in its Yellow Pages online directory.

TMIM is collaborating with IIUM for e-Halal; FlyFirefly Sdn. Bhd for e-Holiday and Fried Chillies Media Sdn. Bhd. for e-Dining.

Nasaruddin Mohd. Zaini, Chief Executive Officer of TMIM represented TMIM at the signing ceremony while Professor Dato’ Sri Dr. Syed Arabi Idid, Rector of IIUM; Angelina Corrina Fernandez, Head of Corporate Communications, FlyFirefly and Mohd Adly Rizal, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of FriedChillies signed the Memorandum of Collaborations on behalf of their respective companies.

At the same event, Y.B. Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism also officially launched the three online directories.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Dato’ Zamzamzairani Mohd. Isa, Group Chief Executive Officer, TM said: “Today’s event marks yet another achievement by TMIM which goes under the brand name Yellow Pages as it launches three new products as a result of business collaborations with its esteemed partners. In line with the current digital lifestyle, the need for a digital version of directory is very relevant indeed as customers may want to look up for any desired products or retailers contact numbers anytime, anywhere simply through viewing it online or download into their computer.

Commenting on the collaborations, Y.B. Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said, “Technology has enabled the spread of information in ways never imagined before. As we harness these innovative solutions in positive ways, we would empower the consumers to make better decisions when they decide relevant products or services. Information could be browsed from their home, office or in their car through their notebooks, hand phones or the various gadgets. TMIM’s efforts in publishing the printed directories are further augmented with the digital directories. And so, the bridging of the real and the digital books is an initiative unmatched by other publications. Content providers and strategic partners of TMIM could take the opportunity of riding on these publications and spread their messages across a wider range of audience.”

The three new products are described as below:

a) e-Halal

e-Halal is the virtual version of the printedHalal Pages. In support of the Government’s aspiration to make Malaysia as a Halal Hub, having a centralized portal will ensure that manufacturers and suppliers of halal-certified products would be able to utilize the growing strength of electronic marketing to promote their products domestically and internationally.

e-Halal would allow only halal-certified companies to place advertisements of their halal-certified products. Halal consumables product manufacturers such as food and beverages, processed and ready-to-eat products as well as non-food products such as leather, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, toiletries, cosmetics and service providers such as financial institutions offering halal-certified financial services, for example Islamic banking, Islamic Unit Trust, Islamic Capital Markets and Takaful insurance, biotechnology companies and halal outlets are encouraged to use e-Halal as a platform to promote their products and services. This is a global trend because halal products are deemed as clean, safe, beneficial and wholesome.

Under the 5-year Memorandum of Collaboration, TMIM will design, print, distribute, promote and market all advertising space in e-Halal and Halal Pages while IIUM will provide articles for e-Halal.

b) e-Holiday

e-Holiday is the virtual version of theprinted Malaysia Tourist Pages (MTP). MTP has been instrumental for the past 16 years in promoting local tourism products, especially to overseas tourists. Basically, this publication is in support of the national tourism agenda. Therefore, digitalizing the MTP into e-Holiday will enable a wider reach of information pertaining to holiday destinations and the various attractions and festivals in Malaysia.

Hotels, Resorts, Travel Bureaus, Airline Companies, Diving Equipment, Restaurants, Car Rental, Gift Shops, Golf Courses, Hospitals (health tourism), universities & colleges (edu-tourism) and other tourism-related industries are encouraged to promote their products and services in e-Holiday.

The e-Holiday directory will be uploaded to FlyFirefly website as FlyFirefly is promoting the tourism industry. TMIM will be conducting a monthly contest via Yellow Pages website to promote holiday packages containing free tickets and accommodation at selected destinations.

Under the one-year collaboration for e-Holiday, TMIM will promote and distribute the directory via its Yellow Pages while Firefly will promote the download of the digital directory in their website.

c) e-Dining

e-Dining is a digital directory which lists down food and beverages (F&B) outlets such as restaurants, food franchises, cafes as well as hotels in Malaysia. e-Diningis targeted to all restaurant owners, food franchisers, food manufacturers and hotels to advertise their delicacies.

Malaysia is a haven for food varieties with influence coming from four main culinary of the Malay, Chinese, Indian and European. Given the numerous food choices, e-Dining is the right avenue to search for information on culinary delights in Malaysia.

Under the 2-year partnership, FriedChillies will provide content while TMIM will design, distribute, promote and market all advertising space for e-Dining. Apart from being the content provider, FriedChillies has also been appointed as the reseller to sell the advertising space for e-Dining.

As compared to the printed directories which are printed once a year, e-Halal, e-Holiday and e-Dining are updated on a monthly basis. This will greatly benefit the advertisers as they can have their advertisements available to the masses much faster and reap the benefits of potential sales quickly.

All three directories can be downloaded at www.yellowpages.com.my for free and once it has been saved into customers’ PC or laptop, they can view it anytime.

About TM

Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), Malaysia’s leading integrated information and communications group, offers a comprehensive range of communication services and solutions in broadband, data and fixed-line. As a market leader in the broadband and fixed-line businesses, 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.

With its extensive global connectivity, TM is poised to position Malaysia as a regional Internet hub and digital gateway for South-East Asia. In line with this, TM is evolving into a Next Generation Network service provider enabling the Group to enhance its efficiency and productivity while providing enriched products and services.

On the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) front, the Group has always been a major corporate contributor towards responsible activities in the belief that these practices are a fundamental tenet of good corporate governance. The Group promotes 3 major platforms i.e. education, sports development and community/nation-building. Under education, TM has spent some RM800 million to develop Multimedia University into one of the top universities in Malaysia with more than 20,000 students. TM has also provided scholarships to over 10,000 graduates pursuing academic programmes locally and overseas. On the sports front, TM is actively contributing towards the upliftment of football at all levels while under the community/nation-building platform, the Group contributes towards causes that bring value to the community and nation at large. TM was awarded the prestigious STAR-BIZ ICRM Corporate Responsibility Award under the workplace category for 2008.