30 Jul 2025
TM INTRODUCES DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMME FOR OVER 2000 B40 MSMEs
KUALA LUMPUR, 29 July 2025 – TM, through Unifi Business, the preferred digital solutions provider for MSMEs nationwide, has introduced Usahawan Digital TM, a nationwide programme tailored to empower 2,200 B40 entrepreneurs from the e-Kasih database, equipping them with critical digital tools and skills to thrive in the digital economy. This is in support of the national Sejahtera MADANI initiative to alleviate poverty among Malaysia’s most vulnerable groups.
The Usahawan Digital TM programme will deliver three core offerings:
- Skill Enhancement – entrepreneurship and digital training for both basic and intermediate levels, with a focus on digital marketing and sales skills.
- Digital Business Tools – technology support including UNI5G Biz mobile plans with complimentary smartphones, cloud storage and digital marketing services to help entrepreneurs market their products and build strong brands.
- Empowerment Programmes – community-based activities such as digital workshops, masterclasses, mentoring sessions, and entrepreneur showcases nationwide.
This initiative is valued at RM10 million, averaging RM5,000 per entrepreneur, delivered in-kind through devices, digital solutions, and training resources.
Amar Huzaimi Md Deris, TM’s Group CEO said: “As an enabler of Malaysia’s digital future, TM is proud to be part of this inclusive national movement to empower the rakyat. Through Usahawan Digital TM, we are providing digital tools, skills, and 5G connectivity to help micro-entrepreneurs transform their livelihoods. This effort aligns with our Digital Powerhouse 2030 aspiration to support talent and innovation development in Malaysia.”
Usahawan Digital TM aims to not only elevate digital capabilities but also enables participation for underserved citizens and communities to embark on entrepreneurial journeys, ensuring their continued inclusion and growth in the digital economy.
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TM JOINS CANDLE SUBMARINE CABLE SYSTEM CONSORTIUM TO CONNECT MALAYSIA AND ASEAN COUNTRIES TO JAPAN
KUALA LUMPUR, September 22, 2025 – TM, Meta, SoftBank Corp., IPS Inc., PT XLSmart Telecom Sejahtera Tbk, and NEC Corporation are collaborating to develop the Candle submarine cable system. Candle is a 24-fiber pair, 8,000 km submarine cable system connecting Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, that is scheduled to begin operations in 2028. It will contribute to infrastructure expansion and secure redundant routes to meet the increasing demand for data communications driven by 5G and AI. This cable system will be one of the first in the Asia-Pacific region to use a 24-fiber pair cable, enabling superior traffic capacity to support the growing demand for communications in the region. Chairperson of the Candle Management Committee, Don Pang, said: “Candle represents a pivotal advancement in fortifying the region’s digital infrastructure. As the need for robust, high-speed connectivity grows, Candle will deliver greater network diversity and resilience along this essential corridor, leveraging state-of-the-art technology. This milestone reflects the deep collaboration among our partners and underscores our shared commitment to advancing digital inclusion and economic opportunity for over half a billion people in the Asia-Pacific region.” The partners from participating countries also provided their comments on the importance of this new system. Amar Huzaimi Md Deris, TM’s Group Chief Executive Officer said, “TM’s participation in the Candle submarine cable system project demonstrates our commitment to building resilient digital infrastructure that meets the growing demand for digital services and cloud-based, AI-driven innovation across Asia. It strengthens our ability to support hyperscalers, enterprises and global service providers in expanding their footprint across ASEAN, while reinforcing Malaysia’s role as ASEAN’s digital hub. This initiative bodes well with our aspiration to become a Digital Powerhouse by 2030—connecting Malaysia to the world, and the world to Malaysia.” “At Meta, we imagine a future where everyone has access to AI, personal superintelligence, and other emerging technologies to improve their lives and connect with each other. This is part of our commitment to seamlessly bring people together no matter where they are in the world.,” said Nico Roerich, Director, APAC Network Investments, Meta. “With the rapid advancement of generative AI and the Internet of Things (IoT), the demand for international telecommunications is expected to continue accelerating. CANDLE adopts a 24-fiber-pair architecture, making it one of the core foundations of next-generation social infrastructure that SoftBank is promoting. By integrating with other submarine cables such as JUPITER, ADC, and E2A, we will further enhance the diversity and redundancy of global communications networks originating from Japan, and strengthen Japan’s role as a digital gateway for Asia,” said Kimimasa Kudo, Vice President and Head of Global Business Division, Enterprise Unit, SoftBank Corp. "Our participation in this project reaffirms our commitment to play a significant role in the further development of digital infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region, which is vital to our operations in Japan, the Philippines, and Singapore. With our subsidiary, InfiniVAN, as the landing party in the Baler, Aurora Province on the eastern seaboard of the Philippines, this is one of many projects we have planned in support of developing the Philippines as a connectivity hub in Southeast Asia." said Koji Miyashita, CEO of IPS, Inc. “XLSMART will fully support the project and we believe the Candle cable will bring benefits for all consortium parties and Indonesia”, said Feby Sallyanto, Chief of Enterprise, PT XLSmart Telecom Sejahtera Tbk. Tomonori Uematsu, General Manager, Submarine Network Division, NEC Corporation, added, “NEC is a leading vendor in the submarine cable system business with over 60 years of experience. NEC is particularly strong in leading subsea projects in the Asia-Pacific region, having been responsible for eight optical submarine cable systems connecting Japan and Singapore, including ‘Candle.’ In this project, NEC will participate as a system integrator, providing everything from the manufacture of submarine cables and repeaters to route design, installation, and testing. Through the establishment of a highly reliable communication environment in the Asia region, NEC will contribute to the development of the digital economy.” This initiative is a milestone in collective partnerships and commitment to strengthening regional connectivity, ensuring secure and reliable international data transmission, and advancing the digital growth of communities and businesses across ASEAN.
YTM launches “Young Filmmaker 2021” for young, creative filmmakers with total cash prizes of RM25,000 to be won!
The competition with its theme “Return Stronger”, organised in collaboration with Strada Films Sdn Bhd, offers total cash prizes of RM25,000 to 9 winners, complete with digital content, knowledge sharing, live events and film masterclasses opportunities Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) through its foundation arm, Yayasan TM (YTM) has taken the initiative to continue supporting the nation’s creative industry development by organising “Young Filmmaker 2021”, a short film competition. It opens up opportunities for young, local budding filmmakers to express their creative ideas and talents and enhance their potential in professional filmmaking. The competition, with the theme “Return Stronger”, is open to all students as well as the public from ages 18 to 35 and offers total cash prizes of RM25,000 to nine (9) winners. It is co-organised by Strada Films Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Digital Perak Corporation Holdings (Digital Perak), Multimedia University (MMU) as well a host of other partners to provide digital content, knowledge sharing, live events and masterclasses throughout this three (3) months programme. The “Young Filmmaker 2021” was officially launched in a virtual ceremony by Zakaria Abdul Hamid, Chairman of National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) together with Izlyn Ramli, Director of YTM; and Mohamad Azlan Norani, Chief Executive Officer, Strada Films Sdn Bhd. The virtual session was also joined by Meor Rezal Fitri Dato' Dr. Hj. Meor Redwan, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Perak; Khir Rahman, President of Malaysian Cinematic Auteurs Guild (MCAG); and Ghaz Abu Bakar, President of Digital Creative Content Creators Associations Malaysia (DCAM) who is also the lead juror for the competition. Commenting on the launch, Izlyn said, “As a purpose driven social impact based foundation, YTM is committed to human capital development and today, we are unveiling yet another digital platform to unleash the budding talents in the creative industry; particularly filmmaking in Malaysia. The “Young Filmmaker 2021” is a collaborative effort that we hope will further empower them through digital content creation. This is in line with TM Group’s unique role as the enabler of Digital Malaysia and at YTM, we are focusing on three (3) strengthened branches namely Education, Community & National Development, and Tourism, Culture & Heritage. This initiative is part of our third pillar, connecting the dots between youth, talent and creativity to skills development and digital opportunities.” “Despite the challenges we faced as a nation during this Covid-19 pandemic, there are countless stories, experiences and events that have inspired us. The theme, "Return Stronger" welcomes and celebrates those uplifting stories around us that will give the young filmmakers the freedom to express their creativity based on life and humanity that will hopefully in turn, touch and inspire the audience. We would also like to thank all our partners, and especially our esteemed judges for their invaluable time and commitment to make this the best experience for all participants,” she added. The Young Filmmaker 2021 competition features a panel of professional jurors comprising renowned film directors and producers such as Ghaz Abu Bakar, Eyra Rahman, Vimala Perumal, Khir Rahman, Aziz M. Osman, Jason Chong, Nik Amir, Razaisyam Rashid and Azhari Zain. YTM also collaborates with the Malaysian Cinematic Auteurs Guild (MCAG) to provide opportunities for young talents to reach their highest potential in filmmaking. The winner of The Best Director Award for this programme will be selected as a Finalist for the “Rahsia Sutradara” Programme by MCAG under the Malaysia Creative Capabilities Enhancement Programme (MyCAP). The winner of the award will have a chance to be mentored by a distinguished panel of film directors to produce a fully sponsored film worth up to RM1.2 million. This collaboration will further broaden the young filmmakers’ horizons from short films to full-fledged movies. Besides MCAG, Digital Perak together with the State’s arts and culture agencies; Perak State Information Department, Perak Tourism, People of Remarkable Talents (PORT) Ipoh and other partners will also host a series of knowledge sharing programmes for the participants of “Young Filmmaker 2021” with industry experts virtually through the PiOR.TV interactive channel. This will provide the young talents with the insights into the art and business of filmmaking. This is not YTM’s first collaboration in the creative industry. In 2015, YTM and unifi TV organised an ‘I Want To Be A Filmmaker’ (IWTBAF) competition to discover talented young local filmmakers. Azlan Norani was the Grand Prize Winner in the competition and he won a YTM scholarship in Cinematic Arts at MMU. After the competition, Azlan continued his studies in MMU at the Iskandar Puteri campus in Johor and later founded his own film production company, Strada Films Sdn Bhd. “Young Filmmaker 2021” is calling for emerging and professional content creators to submit their short films around the theme of “Return Stronger”, before the closing deadline of 31 December 2021. To submit your entry and to find out more about the ‘Young Filmmaker 2021’ competition, visit https://www.youngfilmmaker.com.my/ Don’t miss your chance to win total cash prizes of RM25,000 to kick start your filmmaking career. This is your time to shine!
TM wins two (2) platinum awards at NACRA 2020
Bagged Platinum Excellence Award for Companies with RM2 billion to RM10 billion in Market Capitalisation and Platinum Award for Best Annual Report in Bahasa Malaysia. Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) continues its winning streak at the National Annual Corporate Report Awards (NACRA) 2020 when the Company walked away with two (2) Platinum awards at the awards presentation ceremony, held virtually in Kuala Lumpur, recently. TM bagged the Platinum Excellence Award for Companies with RM2 billion to RM10 billion in Market Capitalisation and this is the fifth (5th) time the Company clinched the most coveted award, after its win in 2014, 2013, 2011 and 2006, thus portraying its long history of exemplary corporate reporting. The other Platinum award that TM won at NACRA 2020 was the Special Awards – Best Annual Report in Bahasa Malaysia. Commenting on the win, Imri Mokhtar, Group Chief Executive Officer, TM, said: “We are both humbled and thrilled to be recognised once again at NACRA 2020. As a public listed company, we are committed to good shareholders’ communication to keep all our stakeholders well informed about the company. This underpins the foundation of corporate reporting; building trust, reputation and value whilst complying to Bursa Malaysia’s listing requirements. These awards are testament to our resolve to uphold a high level of corporate governance, transparency and disclosure of information as we work towards delivering higher value for our all stakeholders.” “On behalf of TM’s management team, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate each and every Warga TM for their hard work and tireless efforts towards producing the Annual Report year after year; and especially for the 2019 edition. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic proved not a hindrance to the team in delivering their best. This year also saw us conducting TM’s very first virtual Annual General Meeting (AGM). I am personally proud with these achievements and hope that this will give a boost for all of us to deliver even better in the future,” he added. The 2020 National Annual Corporate Report Awards (NACRA) was jointly organised by Bursa Malaysia Berhad (Bursa Malaysia), Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) and The Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA). In its 30th year, NACRA 2020 continues to be a force for spurring continuing excellence and improvement in corporate reporting in Malaysia, in line with its evergreen theme, “Towards Accountability & Excellence”. Every year, NACRA guidelines are reviewed and enhanced to ensure that the standards and quality of the production of annual reports are in line with current requirements and the latest global developments. NACRA 2020 introduces a brand-new awards structure and assessment criteria that augments recognition to many more leading organisations and is aligned with global and integrated reporting framework (IRF) and best practices. It has become the benchmark, in which stakeholders associate with fair, transparent and informative corporate reporting. Earlier in 2020, NACRA introduced a new framework which integrates elements of sustainability and integrated reporting in line with evolving expectations.
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