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 ONE REINFORCES COMMITMENT TO ENABLING MELAKA'S DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ASPIRATIONS
KUALA LUMPUR & MELAKA, 30 DECEMBER 2024 – TM One, TM’s enterprise and government sector solutions arm, has reinforced its commitment to enabling Melaka’s digital and sustainable development through various collaborations with local agencies. Working with Majlis Perbandaran Alor Gajah (MPAG) and Syarikat Air Melaka Berhad (SAMB), TM One is deploying digital solutions to support the state’s economic growth, public services, and aspirations to become a model smart city. TM One also recently welcomed Datuk Seri Utama Ab Rauf Yusoh, Melaka’s Chief Minister, to the TM Response Centre Melaka, one of three facilities that supports emergency responses across Malaysia. The Centre is staffed by over 150 personnel who manage emergency response calls 24/7, ensuring quality control, technical support, and data management. Handling over a million calls every month, the Centre serves as a critical national infrastructure that connects citizens with emergency responders, reinforcing public safety and security. Shazurawati Abd Karim, TM One’s Executive Vice President, said “The Chief Minister’s visit to TM’s Response Centre and our strategic partnerships with MPAG and SAMB underscore TM One’s expanded role in Melaka’s digitalisation journey. These essential services contribute to the state’s aspirations to enhance public safety, operational resilience, and sustainable urban growth, and are significant steps toward realising Melaka’s vision of becoming a premier smart city. This is part of TM’s aspirations to become a Digital Powerhouse, leveraging our offerings to help government agencies improve the quality of life for Melaka’s citizens.” Enhancing Urban Management In partnership with MPAG, TM One has introduced the Local Urban Observatory (LUO) Smart Solution, a data-driven platform designed to elevate urban monitoring and decision-making in Alor Gajah. This five-year collaboration integrates real-time data analytics, predictive insights, and public service tracking capabilities, enabling MPAG to monitor critical urban metrics, and gain insights on infrastructure management, public services, and environmental sustainability. Shazurawati commented, “Our LUO Smart Solution with MPAG exemplifies how AI and data analytics can drive sustainable urban planning and operational efficiencies. This collaboration empowers Alor Gajah to enhance its public service responsiveness and create a more liveable environment, aligning with Melaka’s smart city development.” Transforming Water Management To modernise Melaka’s water management services, TM One was appointed by SAMB to provide Smart Workforce Solutions. Leveraging the Open Innovation Platform (OIP) and a range of digital tools including Workflow and Job Assignment Software, the solution enables efficient task allocation and tracking for improved metering, restoration, and contractor management. Customised workforce monitoring devices further provide real-time data capture and reporting from on-site locations, improving operational visibility and safety. Additionally, high-speed mobile connectivity supports communication and coordination, ensuring swift task completion and better service quality. Shazurawati concluded, “Our partnership with SAMB highlights the transformative power of technology in essential services, improving efficiency through swift, coordinated responses to critical tasks. By digitalising workforce operations, we are enabling SAMB to improve operational resilience and elevate service standards for the people of Melaka.”
TM wins again at Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards 2021 for its innovation, patrol
This is the fourth award received by TM at Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards in three years running Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) through its innovation arm, TM Research & Development (TM R&D) wins the AI – Telecommunications Award at the recent Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards 2021, presented by Singapore Business Review. The award was conferred in recognition of the Company's achievement in developing PATROL as a proof of function for research particularly on automatic detection of construction using vehicle dashcam and generate proactive alerts using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms. This is the fourth award received by TM R&D from the Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards in its three years of running. The awards ceremony lauds exceptional companies that have successfully pioneered IT products, solutions and innovative technology projects in their respective industries to boost Malaysia's fast-growing economy. Commenting on the accomplishment, Dr. Sharlene Thiagarajah, Chief Executive Officer, TM R&D said, "This is indeed a proud moment for us. Winning the award is a huge boost for our effort in showcasing how AI can be applied to solve real-life problems. It is also a huge encouragement for us to further strengthen our position as the leader in the research, development and innovation field. This award goes out to the team for delivering such outstanding work. We hope it will give them the drive to explore more innovations for TM to serve a more digital society, digital business, digital industry and digital Government, towards accelerating Digital Malaysia." Project PATROL was developed to provide early warning alerts on areas where TM infrastructure has a high risk of being destroyed due to civil and construction works by a third party. Ideally, before the civil or construction works were to begin, TM and other utility companies are to be consulted to ensure proper precautionary measures are taken to avoid telecommunication cable or other utility infrastructure cuts such as water or sewerage. The cable cuts will lead to loss of broadband and other telecommunication services which will cause major inconveniences to consumer lifestyle and businesses, as well as operation nightmare for any telcos. To fill in those gaps, PATROL was developed powered by digital and AI capabilities. PATROL leverages AI, object detection capabilities and the Internet of Things (IoT) to detect a construction area using a dashcam. The system then automatically checks if the unregistered civil and construction activity is in close proximity to underground or overhead cable infrastructure. Several parameters are used to assess risk before an alert is sent to the Network Operations Centre for investigation. "PATROL provides real-time alerts on civil and construction activities that pose a high risk to the security and safety of TM's cable infrastructure. This information allows telco providers to act fast in preventing possible threats to their assets. With PATROL, we foresee a huge opportunity for operational cost avoidance due to cable cut cases," she further added. Established in 2001, TM R&D is the innovation arm for TM Group focusing on creating smarter ecosystems to make business and life easier for a better Malaysia. TM R&D's solutions are clustered around four (4) pillars namely Intelligent Platforms, Data Brokerage, Connectivity/Tools and IR4.0/Digital Solutions. Growing from strength to strength since 2016, TM R&D has won multiple global awards and generated more than 2,800 Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and 1,400 digital assets to date. TM R&D's innovations are all developed in-house and cut across multiple verticals such as Utilities, Retail, Agriculture, Healthcare and Education with safety and productivity as the top priority. As TM R&D continues to expand beyond connectivity and into smarter digital ecosystems, its role in TM has become more prominent and exciting. For more information about TM R&D and its innovations, visit www.tmrnd.com.my or email your inquiry to business@tmrnd.com.my or follow them on LinkedIn (TM Research & Development) for more news and updates.
TM Further Accelerates Its Sustainable Development
TM is pleased to announce the publication of its inaugural Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) report and this significant step underline the Group’s commitment to sustainability, transparency, and responsible business practices, reinforcing its position as a leader in the industry. The TCFD report provides transparency around the financial implications of an organisation’s climate-related risks and opportunities. With this 2022 report, TM is taking a proactive approach in understanding, assessing, and managing climate-related risks and opportunities, which will enable TM to strengthen its risk management practices, drive innovation, and ensure the long-term sustainability of its business operations. TM’s 2022 TCFD report is launched 2 years ahead of Bursa Malaysia’s December 2025 target requirement for public listed companies to align their reporting with TCFD. TM is in alignment with 9 out of 11 TCFD recommendations for the financial year ended 31 December 2022. Bursa Malaysia released this criterion in 2022 as part of its enhanced sustainability reporting requirement. “Towards becoming a human-centred TechCo, we are aware of our role in facilitating Malaysia’s transition towards a low-carbon future. Through this TCFD exercise, we have sought to build upon our existing initiatives and provide a future-focused examination on how climate change will impact our business. These insights will provide an important foundation that will enable us to continually improve our responses to climate change across each aspect of our value chain,” said Razidan Ghazalli, Group Chief Financial Officer, TM who also spearheads TM’s TCFD taskforce. "Our decision to embrace TCFD reporting demonstrates our dedication to upholding the highest standards of environmental, social, and governance practices," said Datuk Imri Mokhtar, Group Chief Executive Officer, TM. "We believe that by being transparent and accountable for our climate-related risks and opportunities, we can create long-term value for our stakeholders, strengthen our resilience, and position ourselves as an industry leader in sustainable business practices,” he further added. Developed in 2022, TM’s ESG Roadmap sets forth a clear vision, commitments, and execution plans across the three pillars of environment, social, and governance. As part of its efforts to combat climate change, TM launched several impactful initiatives aimed at achieving its goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. In 2022 alone, significant strides were made, including: Renewable Energy-Powered Data Centres - Three of its core data centres are now powered by renewable energy. This transition to clean energy sources significantly reduces carbon emissions associated with data centre operations. Network Modernisation for Efficiency - By implementing high-efficiency network elements and retiring legacy components, TM ensures that its network infrastructure operates at maximum efficiency. This strategic approach minimises energy waste and aligns with the overall objective of reducing carbon footprint. Energy-Efficient Air-Conditioning Upgrade - In reducing energy consumption, more than 560 conventional air-conditioning units have been replaced with more energy-efficient inverter air-conditioning systems. This transition to energy-saving technology not only contributes to lower carbon emissions but also leads to substantial energy cost savings. By incorporating renewable energy, optimising network infrastructure, and investing in energy-efficient technologies, TM is proactively working towards a greener future. With the ESG Roadmap as a guiding framework, the Group is dedicated to creating long-term value for its stakeholders while minimising environmental impact. Its unwavering commitment to sustainability extends beyond climate action to encompass social responsibility and sound governance practices. TM is committed to advancing its sustainability agenda by accelerating its transformation into a human-centred TechCo, in pursuit of a sustainable future and positive change within the industry and communities it serves. For more details on TM’s sustainability commitments and approach, visit tm.com.my/sustainability.
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