MALAYSIAN PM WILL DELIVER GOOD NEWS DURING BROADBAND LAUNCH

KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 (Bernama) -- Malaysians can expect good news when
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak launch the National Broadband
Initiative (NBI) and High Speed Broadband (HSBB) Wednesday.

"The Prime Minister's announcement will make the people happy as it is a
form of general shift," Information Communication and Culture Minister Dr Rais
Yatim said after checking final preparation for the launch at
Merdeka Square Tuesday.

He said the cooperation of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) and the Malaysian
Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is capable of pushing
telecommunications to a higher level.

Telekom Malaysia Berhad is the largest telecommunication company in
Malaysia. It has a monopoly on the fixed line network and has a considerable
market share of the mobile communications market after its acquisition of Celcom
and merging with its mobile operation arm, TMTouch.

"After the launch, we expect them to strive for higher broadband quality,
lower cost and a better service to change the lifestyle of Malaysians."

Rais said broadband internet had become a must for the people just like
roads, electricity and water supply.


"With ICT, especially high speed broadband, our lives will change as the
world will become smaller as we can communicate faster and more efficiently,"
he said.

The HSBB launch will also support the 1Malaysia Concept and spur the economy
what with the impending launch of the New Economic Model (NEM) by the Prime
Minister.

Rais said the government was aware that the broadband cost, speed and
quality of service was still behind other countires.

Malaysia became the third fastest country worlwide in the expansion of Wimax
services. There are some 17 million internet users in the country.

TM has capacity to provide broadband services to about 311,000 premises at
various locations.

-- BERNAMA