PROMISING FUTURE FOR JOINT ICT PROJECTS WITHIN BIMP-EAGA

KOTA KINABALU (Malaysia), July 9 (Bernama) -- Key collaboration projects
seen to address the digital divide in the Brunei
Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-the Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area
(BIMP-EAGA), were identified during the
recent 4th BIMP-EAGA CEO Forum.

The Forum was a private-sector led gathering of key private ICT players from
all across the sub-region, in Puerto Princesa City, the Philippines.

A collaboration project on setting up a BIMP-EAGA alternate international
telecommunication link is being explored between Brunei International Gateway
(BIG) and Malaysia's Sedcom Communication Sdn Bhd of Sabah.

A statement issued by the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), here
Saturday said that the proposed BIMP-EAGA submarine cable project,dubbed the
BIMP-EAGA Rink, is an alternative routing either through satellite, microwave or
fiber-optic cables.

It aims to facilitate direct interconnection and allow telecommunication
services in BIMP-EAGA to expand, connect and diversity networks with the rest of
Asia, particularly Singapore and Hong Kong.

The proposed BIMP-EAGA submarine cable route will establish connectivity
from Borneo Island to Mindanao, the cable link gateway in Southern Philippines.

During the forum, Brunei International Gateway also launched its 1,000-day
Programme which aims to jumpstart the BIMP-EAGA Rink project, starting with the
formulation of a feasibility study and setting-up of a consortium responsible
for the implementation of the proposed project.

ICT Councils in Mindanao are also eyeing an exploratory ICT project and
possible cooperation on ICT Development with Brunei Darussalam.

Lizabel Holganza, President of ICT Council of Davao Inc. and Vice
Chairperson of the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines, urged the
private sector to explore the possibilities of offshore outsourcing
opportunities and investments in their respective countries.

"We need to have a balanced countryside development," she stressed, as she
encouraged her fellow private sector representatives to start tapping the areas
of competitiveness of the BIMP-EAGA sub-region, to allow Business Process
Outsourcing (BPOs) to prosper.

She said BPOs outsourcing has contributed greatly to the Philippines' Gross
Domestic Product(GDP). However, most of the workforce is concentrated in
Manila.

-- BERNAMA