14 Sep 2023
TM Joins Asia Link Cable System Consortium To Boost Submarine Cable Capacity From Malaysia To Asia
KUALA LUMPUR, 14 September 2023 - TM Global, the domestic and international wholesale business arm of TM, solidified its commitment to advancing Malaysia’s digital landscape by announcing its recent participation as a consortium member of the Asia Link Cable System (ALC). This strategic move positions Malaysia as one of the key destinations connecting Malaysia to Hong Kong SAR.
Asia Link Cable; image credited to HMN Tech
TM’s entry into the consortium was made official during the signing of the Construction and Maintenance Agreement (C&MA) with all consortium members held in Penang recently. The current seven members from the ASEAN and North Asia regions include Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel); China Telecom Global Limited (CTG); China Telecommunications Corporation (CTC); Globe Telecom (Globe) and DITO Telecommunity Corporation (DITO) of the Philippines, Unified National Networks Sdn Bhd (UNN) of Brunei and Global Transit Singapore Pte. Ltd (GTS).
Commenting on this partnership, Khairul Liza Ibrahim, TM Global’s covering Executive Vice President said, “Our inclusion in the ALC consortium marks another milestone in TM Global’s ongoing efforts to position Malaysia as a digital hub in the region.
“Malaysia emerged as the region’s top destination for technological investment, particularly data centre businesses. Leveraging our strategic location, the ALC is expected to attract more international submarine cables to land in Malaysia and entice global technology players to leverage our data centres.
“This strengthens our efforts to provide reliable, diversified and uninterrupted global connectivity solutions to customers. It also enables us to better support the deployment of hyperscalers’ data centres, and deliver to the future requirements of 5G networks in the country,” she added
Spanning a total distance of approximately 7,200 km with an initial design capacity of 24Tbps, the Cable Landing Station (CLS) for ALC will be strategically located at TM Exchange Kuala Sedili, and will capitalise on its proximity to TM’s Iskandar Puteri data centre in Johor.
The Sedili CLS is the sixth international CLS in the country, including Kuala Muda, Morib, Mersing, Cherating and Melaka. Its construction is projected to be completed by 2025.
With 32 owned and leased submarine cable systems spanning more than 340,000 kilometres around the globe, TM is committed to providing the highest service performance and best quality experience to customers domestically and internationally.
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TM in consortium to build new submarine cable system for Southeast Asia – Middle East – Western Europe
With advanced technologies, open cable system concept and capacity of more than 100Tbps, the latest investment will improve connection with Europe and cater for future digital demand Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) announced that the Company is part of a consortium for the latest Southeast Asia - Middle East - Western Europe 6 (SEA-ME-WE 6) submarine cable system, that connects Malaysia with multiple countries namely Singapore, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Pakistan, Oman, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and France. TM’s participation in the consortium was made official with the signing of the Construction and Maintenance Agreement (C&MA) with all consortium members recently. The SEA-ME-WE 6 joins the list of TM’s investments in submarine cable systems including SEA-ME-WE 3, SEA-ME-WE 4, SEA-ME-WE 5 as well as other numerous international cable routes worldwide. The SEA-ME-WE 6 will provide TM with one of the lowest latency routes between Malaysia and Europe. It will also create an additional layer of network diversity and resilience for the heavily loaded traffic between Asia and Europe. With its advanced technologies, open cable system concept, and a design capacity of more than 100Tbps, this latest investment will undoubtedly provide the consortium members with complete control over their traffic management. Commenting on the latest investment, TM Group Chief Executive Officer Imri Mokhtar said, “TM has always been at the forefront in making Malaysia the ideal gateway for connecting our country to the world, as well as enabling global technology players to deliver innovative digital services to Malaysia. Submarine cable expansion remains a key element in achieving this goal. “Our investment in SEA-ME-WE 6 will allow us to address our capacity requirements to cater for increasing future digital demand across Asia and Europe while continuing to provide reliable, diversified and uninterrupted global connectivity solutions to customers. It will also allow TM to support the deployment of hyperscalers’ data centres as well as the future requirements of 5G network in the country.” “The SEA-ME-WE 6 submarine cable will land at TM’s new cable landing station in Morib, the latest addition to TM’s existing four (4) international cable landing stations in the country. Its strategic proximity to Klang Valley, which is close to most hyperscalers’ data centres, positions it as a key cable landing site for Malaysia.” Imri added that the new investment will help realise TM’s aspiration to establish Malaysia as a regional digital hub by facilitating more submarine cables to land in Malaysia. This also demonstrates TM’s commitment to the MyDIGITAL initiative to attract more international submarine cables to land in Malaysia. Aside from TM, the SEA-ME-WE 6 consortium comprise multiple global players, including Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL), Bharti Airtel Ltd. (Bharti Airtel), Dhivehi Raajjeyge Gulhun PLC (Dhiraagu), Djibouti Telecom SA (Djibouti Telecom), Etihad Etisalat Company (Mobily), Orange (France), PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (Telin), Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel), Sri Lanka Telecom PLC (SLT), Telecom Egypt (TE) and Trans World Associates (TWA). TM is well experienced in both domestic and global submarine cable system development and investments. With 30 submarine cable systems owned and leased spanning more than 320,000 kilometres around the globe, TM is committed to providing the highest service performance and best quality experience to all its customers worldwide.
TM GLOBAL BAGS A DOUBLE WIN AT THE ASIAN TELECOM AWARDS 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, 5 March 2024 – TM Global, the domestic and international wholesale business arm of TM, clinched top honours in two prestigious categories: Telecom Company of the Year – Malaysia, and the Wholesale Company Initiative of the Year – Malaysia, at the Asian Telecom Awards held in Singapore. This marks the second consecutive year TM Global has received these accolades, solidifying its position as a leader in shaping the telecommunications landscape within Malaysia and across Asia. Khairul Liza Ibrahim, Executive Vice President of TM Global, said, "The awards underscore TM Global’s efforts as a catalyst of digital adoption across industries and the nation’s 5G ecosystem. Internationally, we serve as the gateway for businesses seeking to expand into ASEAN and vice versa. TM Global plays a pivotal role in advancing AI implementation and platform-play services and remains committed to driving innovation and bringing connectivity and digitalisation to all corners of the country." She further emphasised TM Global's transition from a traditional telco wholesaler to a digital enabler, "Our strategic shift up the value chain has enabled us to deliver a versatile edge ecosystem, empowering the next wave of technologies and applications. This recognition is a reaffirmation of our work in pioneering digital solutions to transcend borders and driving connectivity across the region." TM Global’s initiatives continue to help narrow the digital divide and nurture digital opportunities through the expansion of high-capacity connectivity infrastructure nationwide and the deployment of two additional International Internet Gateways in East Malaysia. Internationally, TM Global continued to bolster its connectivity strength, facilitate content distribution through TM Edge, and expand its platform services to connect service providers worldwide with the vibrant ASEAN market. The Asian Telecom Awards, hosted by the Asian Telecom magazine, a publication of the global Charlton Media Group, honours businesses and initiatives that are not only driving progress in the telecom industry, but have also ignited transformative shifts that have reshaped the digital landscape. These recognitions are a testament to TM Global’s ability to support regional and international service providers through comprehensive digital infrastructure solutions, providing a seamless gateway for their expansion into the region.
Unifi TV kickstarts 2023 offerings with addition of popular beIN SPORTS 2, Moonbug Kids and one premium channels
Unifi, a leader in converged home, mobile and lifestyle services via its digital content arm, Unifi TV, today announced three new premium channels via partnerships with leading content providers – beIN Asia Pacific; Moonbug Entertainment, a subsidiary of Candle Media; and Korea’s KC Global Media. Starting February 2023, viewers will be able to enjoy these popular channels via their Unifi TV subscriptions: beIN SPORTS 2 – featuring top-tier European football, international tennis competitions and most recently, full Formula 1 coverage; Moonbug Kids – designed for families with pre-school children; and ONE – for fans of the latest Korean drama and entertainment. Two of the three new channels, Moonbug Kids and ONE will also be available for free preview throughout the whole of February for both existing and new Unifi TV subscribers. This brings Unifi TV’s channel offerings to a whopping 71 premium channels, along with 17 app partners including Disney+ Hotstar, Viu, WeTV and Lionsgate Play – the largest selection of streaming apps over a single platform. Ho Hock Doong, Head of Content, Unifi TV said, “We are excited to partner beIN Asia Pacific, Moonbug Entertainment, and KC Global Media in bringing their popular channels to Unifi TV and to provide more quality offerings to our local audiences. “At the end of 2022, Digital Market Insights projected that Malaysia’s Home Entertainment revenue was expected to reach an annual growth rate (CAGR 2022-2027) of 8.36%, with a projected market volume of US$48.57 million and 1.1 million active users by 2027. “With these prospects in mind, we are strengthening our partnerships with leading global content providers to offer an inclusive selection of digital entertainment solutions – bringing Unifi’s ‘all-in-one’ value proposition to all audiences,” he added. beIN SPORTS 2 will join the line-up of three existing beIN SPORTS channels as well as the beIN SPORTS CONNECT app already available on Unifi TV, offering the widest live sports coverage from beIN SPORTS in Malaysia. In addition to the Formula 1 broadcast rights which will be extended to Unifi TV viewers, the channel will also include the Australian Open, ATP and the upcoming Roland-Garros. Mike Kerr, Managing Director, beIN Asia Pacific, said, “As we continue to expand and strengthen our sports offering, we are excited to enter into the next phase of partnership with Unifi TV. Now with Formula 1, fans can immerse themselves in more live coverage than ever before on beIN SPORTS. We look forward to working alongside Unifi TV to grow our audiences in Malaysia.” Putting families in the forefront, Moonbug Kids on Unifi TV will feature all of Moonbug’s IPs including CoComelon, Blippi, Gecko’s Garage, Morphle, Arpo, Little Baby Bum and recent acquisitions Little Angel and Oddbods – offering wholesome and quality entertainment for preschool and early-years viewers. Unifi TV is also the first digital content platform in Malaysia to offer selected Moonbug Kids programmes on demand that are localised in Bahasa Melayu and Mandarin – bringing these edutainment programmes to more of Malaysia’s multi-lingual audiences. “We are extremely excited to launch our Moonbug Kids channel on Unifi TV via their on-air and online platforms. We have had a strong start to 2023 in maintaining our strategy of rolling out our content and channels across APAC and EMEA and are now very much looking forward to sharing our beloved characters and stories with families across Malaysia,” said Nicolas Eglau, Managing Director EMEA & APAC, Moonbug Entertainment. Leading K-entertainment channel, ONE, on the other hand, will bring the best of Korean entertainment to Malaysia. The channel will feature drama series Kokdu: Season of Deity within 24 hours of release in Korea and a line-up of romantic specials in February such as Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo and Backstreet Rookie. Fans of travel variety shows will also be treated to Dopojarak: Story of Homme the K-Wanderer, featuring personalities from K-pop, K-drama, fashion and sports. George Chien, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of KC Global Media shared, “We are excited to enhance our partnership with Unifi TV to bring the best entertainment from around the world to every household and mobile device in Malaysia! With the addition of ONE channel on Unifi TV, fans can look forward to an endless stream of freshly curated programming direct from South Korea’s biggest broadcasters and studios.” “These channels are quality additions to our platform and will strengthen our lifestyle offerings as part of Unifi’s Converged solutions for broadband, mobile and digital content. Our aim is to provide seamless customer experiences via extensive and affordable services that meet today’s digital demands, including online entertainment both at home and on-the-go,” Ho shared. “As we kick off 2023, we aim to continue expanding our digital content, providing more customisable, value-for-money selections together with Unifi’s other converged solutions to bring something for everyone,” he concluded.
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