Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) joined organisations worldwide to celebrate International Women’s Day, honouring the women of TM as well as all women spearheading innovation and technology.
Supporting the United Nations’ efforts to recognise women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education, the event was themed DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality and was officiated by YB Teo Nie Ching, Deputy Minister of Communications & Digital.
In addressing the event, YB Teo said, “Today marks a special occasion to celebrate the efforts and contributions of women from all walks of life and to recognise their role in families, workplaces and communities. This event hosted by TM also serves as a platform for the exchange of ideas and new perspectives about gender equality especially in today’s digital realities.
“As Malaysia continues to advance digitally, more conversations are needed about enabling greater inclusion and diversity in the technology and digital sector. We must also drive on why it is fundamental to ensure equal opportunities for digital literacy and access to online resources, while increasing the protection of women and girls in digital spaces.”
Echoing these sentiments about equality in the digital sector, Dato’ Imri Mokhtar, TM’s Group CEO explained, “As TM progresses towards becoming a human-centred TechCo, we believe that the most crucial element for our digital future is the growth and capabilities of our talents.
“With 37% of our top level management being women, we are pleased to launch ASPIRE: A Women’s Advancement Programme by TM. This 1-year leadership development programme aims to cultivate a new generation of women leaders, and tap into their unique perspectives and experiences to enrich TM’s innovation and long-term sustainability.”
With the first 30 high-performing employees already on-boarded in the programme, participants will be groomed to grow their professional image and personal branding, explore skills to lead, influence, negotiate and navigate today’s workplace, and gain opportunities to connect with peers, mentors and sponsors to enhance their future career progression.
This new programme serves as the latest in TM’s ongoing efforts to empower women, including its efforts to support the wider community.
This includes Yayasan TM (YTM), the foundation arm of TM, which offers scholarships that have benefitted high-performing students – with 49.5% of its current scholars studying in Malaysia and overseas made up of young women. At the same time, TM’s subsidiary Multimedia University recorded that 49.3% of its employed graduates were young women – a positive reflection in enabling equal opportunities for the next generation of game-changers.
Tapping into the insights of current women game-changers, the event included panellists Dr Sumitra Nair, Head and Senior Vice President Strategy & Policy, MDEC; Yuki Aizawa, Country Director Malaysia Chapter, Women in Tech Global Movement; and Mariam Jaafar, Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group, Singapore.
Moderated by TM’s Chief Human Capital Officer, Sarinah Abu Bakar – who is also serving as sponsoring mentor for the ASPIRE programme with Shanti Jusnita Johari, TM’s Chief Marketing Officer – the panel addressed issues such as the role of innovation and technology in empowering women and girls in Malaysia, the gap between urban and rural use of innovative technology, and the importance of women role models for today's youth.
“Today’s event and the launch of ASPIRE are part of our continuous commitment to enriching the prosperity and livelihoods of our Warga TM, and across the nation and beyond. The success of TM’s transformation journey is anchored on our dedicated workforce, loyal customers and local communities. Therefore, we see it as our duty and obligation to empower the lives of our people and communities, ensure greater digital inclusion, and prepare them for excellence in the digitalised future,” Dato’ Imri Mokhtar concluded.
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TM and Huawei collaborate to accelerate 5G commercialisation in Malaysia
Both parties exploring a working mechanism to cover spectrum, business case, ecosystem and key technologies towards empowering Digital Malaysia. Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) and Huawei Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd (Huawei) have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate in accelerating 5G commercialisation in Malaysia as the country moves towards a Digital Nation. The MoU was signed by both companies at TM-Huawei Tech Summit held recently. Ir. Ts Azizi A. Hadi, Chief Network Officer, TM signed the MoU on behalf of TM while Mr. Zac Chow, Vice President Huawei Malaysia, represented Huawei at the signing ceremony. Commenting on the collaboration, Dato' Noor Kamarul Anuar, Group Chief Executive Officer, TM said, "It is an exciting development for us to collaborate with a global player like Huawei to accelerate the offering of 5G services to Malaysians. As a national telecommunications infrastructure provider of Malaysia's Digital Nation aspirations, 5G technology will complement our existing wired-based offerings, world class connectivity as well as digital infrastructure. It will enable us to deliver more innovative digital solutions to all our customers across various segments. TM via its innovative and comprehensive products and solutions will continue to lay the foundation for Industrial Revolution 4.0 and rolling out 5G nationwide - serving a more digital society and lifestyle, digital businesses and industry verticals, as well as digital Government. This collaboration augurs well for the accelerated deployment of future 5G network, applications and solutions for Malaysian homes, businesses and beyond, in line with our aspiration to power Digital Malaysia." Meanwhile, Michael Yuan, Chief Executive Officer of Huawei said: "TM and Huawei have been working hand-in-hand for 15 years. We have been working together to connect more people than ever before. We are now at the crossroads of digital transformation. Huawei will fully support TM's aspiration to power Digital Malaysia, and will work together with TM to building a better connected and intelligent Malaysia via 5G." Under the MoU, both parties intend to explore on collaborating by leveraging on each other's core expertise and capabilities to explore a working mechanism covering spectrum, business case, ecosystem and key technologies. This would include collaborating for a joint study on 5G spectrum and its evolution; possible joint development of new services concepts and business case of selected 5G use cases which include but not limited to Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), Smart Cities and Vehicle-to-Vehicle or Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2X); joint study in the areas of 5G Ecosystem Innovation; and explore future cooperation on full-fledged 5G end-to-end system. Through this collaboration, a joint working group will also be set up to identify areas of copper line services with the aim towards improving customer experience through FWA technology and/or services. "With this collaboration, we further strengthen our role as a national telecommunications infrastructure provider of Malaysia's Digital Nation aspirations, where TM has established the communications backbone of Malaysia with the widest connectivity and convergence network. As a responsible nation-builder, we will continue to serve as a strategic enabler of the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP), backed by our solid infrastructure towards empowering Digital Malaysia" Dato' Noor Kamarul Anuar concluded.

Nurturing future digital leaders through YTM Future Skills Champion Schools
Enhances its adopted schools programme to be more holistic by embedding digital technology and leadership skills TM, through Yayasan TM (YTM), recognises the need to equip the next generation with the digital and technology skills required for Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0). In view of this, in 2014, YTM began its Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) oriented programmes, such as robotics, 3D modelling, coding, and big data analytics, to promote those subjects amongst students and education communities at schools nationwide. In 2020, the modules were conslidated into TM Future Skills (TMFS) programme, with the aim of making it more comprehensive and beneficial to the intended participants. The programme was tailored to the syllabus outlined by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and covered the nine (9) pillars of the IR4.0. It has been receiving positive feedback from the teachers and students involved and more schools have requested to be part of the programme. Supporting MOE’s aspiration for digital education transformation, YTM continues to spread the positive impact of TMFS in a more structured approach. Towards this end, the foundation has embarked on TM Future Skills Champion School (TMFS School) initiative, as a continuation of the TM School Adoption Programme with enhanced contents. TMFS Schools foster future digital skills by embracing digital technology in its classroom activities where leadership, design thinking and cognitive abilities were emphasised to prepare the students for future employment. SMK Gunung Semanggol (SMKGS) in Perak, with more than 90% of its students from B40 families, was selected as the first TMFS School, aligned with YTM’s aspiration to assist B40 students in rural areas. To further facilitate the initiative, YTM is establishing TMFS Digital Hub at TMFS Schools where the schools will be equipped with a PocketLab, robotics set, 3D printer, smart TV, desktop, and digital learning content to gain more interest from its students as well as the neighbouring schools. "SMK Gunung Semanggol was identified based on its active involvement in various STEM initiatives, including previous TMFS programmes. The school also has passionate and dedicated teachers, where they adopt integrated and innovative approach for more in-depth understanding of the modules among the students. With such exposure and capabilities, we are confident that SMK Gunung Semanggol is able to play the role as a hub to spread the digital technology knowledge to more students and teachers including at the five (5) neighbouring schools, and approximately over 20 secondary schools in the Kerian district," said Izlyn Ramli, Director of YTM, during the launching ceremony of TMFS School in November 2022. Throughout this three-year programme, YTM, together with its strategic partner, Creative Minds, will work with Multimedia University (MMU), Yayasan Universiti Multimedia (YUM), TM Perak, and other YTM's partners to design and deliver engaging programmes providing the tools and support for students in rural schools to flourish. "We are also happy to see that SMK Gunung Semanggol promotes the development of other skills, such as urban farming and entrepreneurship, to empower the local communities sustainably. So as we continue to identify more potential schools in more states of Malaysia, we hope this programme will unearth more talented students towards building a competitive and sustainable community in the future," she added. Salmah Iman, the Principal of SMK Gunung Semanggol, expressed her enthusiasm, "We feel honoured and privileged to be chosen as the first TMFS School in the Northern Zone and Malaysia. We are excited and look forward to share the positive impact of this programme with the nearby schools. As we are committed to ensuring that this programme achieves its goals, we are also confident that YTM's support and assistance will help these students be prepared for future employment and enhance their standard of living." At the event, Bakri Arsad, Chief Assistant Director of Mathematics and Science, Learning Sector, Perak State Education Department, said, "We welcome such initiatives through collaboration with the private sector, especially for rural schools that need exposure to digital technology. These programmes will inspire students to explore their potential beyond academics and increase the number of students choosing STEM-related fields." During the launch, guests had the opportunity to visit the Pusat Sumber Sekolah Pendeta Za'aba and experience content and materials created by the students based on specific themes including unique handicrafts and martial arts performances. Guests toured the school's urban farm, where they sampled delicious cuisine prepared by students from the special education class using produce from the farm. SMK Gunung Semanggol provided a wonderful ambience of positive vibes that attract students' engagement and boosted their creativity. To date, STEM-related programmes by YTM, including TMFS, have benefited over 15,000 students and teachers from over 500 schools across the country. With the support and assistance of various interested partners, we hope this initiative will spark students' interest in pursuing their tertiary studies in technology and digital fields and equip the young generation with future-proof skills relevant to the future workforce.

TM’s All-In-One Digital Solutions With Geran Digital PMKS Madani To Accelerate MSME Digitalisation
Kuala Lumpur, 25 October 2023 - Unifi Business is set to accelerate local MSME digitalisation through Geran Digital PMKS Madani (GDPM). Recently reinforced in Budget 2024, the government aims to incentivise local MSME through the GDPM to embrace business digitalisation for business growth. Local MSME make up 97.4% of overall domestic businesses and provide employment to 47.8% of the population. However, a majority of them (about 77%) remain at the basic stage of digitalisation. Through this grant, MSME entrepreneurs will be able to subscribe to Unifi Business’ packages and solutions with 50% matching grant of up to RM5,000 per customer. This includes a wide range of services such as Unifi Business’ high-speed internet, Unifi Mobile Biz high-speed 4G and 5G mobile data, as well as Unifi Air Biz’s unlimited 5G data. Unifi Business will also offer solutions that are made to fit the digital needs of MSME such as: - Digital Marketing Solution – Digital marketing campaign professionally managed by a certified campaign manager enabling wider reach and stronger online brand presence Unifi eCommerce Hub – a single integrated platform to sync online and offline stores to manage product inventories, orders, monitor sales and revenue, as well as social media enquiries. Allow users to build interactive websites with live chat and built-in online payment features Kaspersky Small Office Security – protect important things that matter to businesses regardless of IT skill level, providing “Always On-Security for Always-On Businesses”. Mohamad Yusman Ammeran, Unifi’s Head of SME, said, “Beyond connectivity and business solutions, Unifi Business is committed to helping Malaysian MSME to strengthen their business and leadership capabilities. As the preferred digital partner to 400,000 MSME nationwide, TM supports their market visibility, growth and digital capabilities through our service and solutions with 600 Unifi Business Consultants nationwide, of whom, more than 100 are certified with the International Certification of Digital Literacy (ICDL).” One of Unifi Business’ customers who benefitted from digital transformation was Tineshwara Rao of Suria Pest Control, Penang, who said, “Our sales have doubled and expanded beyond the northern states through the services and solutions provided by Unifi Business, particularly its Digital Marketing Solution. We would like to thank Unifi Business for helping us grow into a more digitally enabled business.” Another happy customer, Athirah Abdul Rajak, owner of Mama’s Best Food from Sabah echoes, “Sales of my product increased by 50% by using Unifi’s Business’ eCommerce Hub. I am now supplying one shipping container of our product on a monthly basis to Johor. Unifi Business made this possible for me.” In addition to the grant, MSME customers will also be able to enjoy new lower prices offered via Unifi Business’ Fibre plans. This includes a limited time promo for 100Mbps broadband for RM99 per month, which is approximately 30% lower compared to the new price. To find out more about the Geran Digital PMKS Madani with Unifi Business, visit biz.unifi.com.my