05 Jan 2023

TM R&D inks MoU with AL-QUDS University to foster industry-academia collaboration for research and innovation excellence in next generation communication technologies

TM R&D inks MoU with AL-QUDS University to foster industry-academia collaboration for research and innovation excellence in next generation communication technologies Article Header
TM
R&D

​Telekom Research & Development Sdn Bhd (TM R&D), the innovation arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Al-Quds University (AQU) to foster industry-academia collaboration for joint research in Next Generation Communication Technologies and to create an institution for innovation and technology transfer.

Dr. Sharlene Thiagarajah, Chief Executive Officer, TM R&D, signed the MoU on behalf of TM R&D while AQU was represented by its President, Prof. Dr. Imad Abu Kishek. The agreement was sealed under the support and presence of H. E. Mr. Walid Abu Ali, Ambassador of The State of Palestine to Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand and Maldives.

Under the MoU, both entities will join forces to explore research and knowledge exchange activities including staff exchange for scientific works and student visits, in addition to development of impactful digital solutions with a global outlook.

Commenting on the latest collaboration, Dr. Sharlene said, “We are excited to have AQU on board as the first university that we’re collaborating with post COVID-19. This MoU is testament of our efforts to work with innovative and entrepreneurial academic institutions to deliver excellence in the field of research and innovation.”

“The knowledge sharing and technology transfer between Malaysia and Palestine will definitely boost research capabilities and cross-cultural innovations,” she added.

Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Imad Abu Kishek shared, “The university’s strategy encompasses building strong cooperative relationships with the Malaysian industry and academia. We believe that this is the first step towards a sustainable partnership with TM R&D, which will provide our staff and students the opportunity to access expert knowledge, latest technologies, innovation labs, and industry in Malaysia.”

“We hope that this collaboration will result in a symbiotic relationship that furthers the economy, innovation, and technology transfer among both institutions,” added Prof. Dr. Imad.

AQU is an academic research university that currently offers more than 120 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, delivered through its 15 degree-granting faculties that cover main scientific disciplines such as medicine, life and natural sciences, business and management, arts and humanities, law and jurisprudence, engineering, computer science, information technology, and social sciences.

In addition, AQU pursues educational distinction through a culture of innovation and strives to develop entrepreneurs who are able to partake in the development of the Palestinian economy.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

TM ONE & SIRIM ACADEMY PARTNERSHIP BOOSTS CYBERSECURITY AND AI GOVERNANCE IN MALAYSIA

KUALA LUMPUR, 6 November 2025 – TM One, TM’s enterprise and government sector solutions arm, has signed a strategic Collaboration Agreement with SIRIM Academy, a subsidiary of SIRIM Berhad, to advance Malaysia’s capabilities in information security, artificial intelligence (AI) governance, and workforce certification. The partnership combines TM One’s expertise in cybersecurity and managed services with SIRIM Academy’s recognised strengths in training, consultancy, standards development and personnel certification. Together, the two organisations will support enterprises and government agencies in closing compliance gaps, adopting global best practices, and building resilience in the digital economy. The collaboration focuses on certification and workforce readiness, supporting organisations to comply with Information Security Management Systems (ISMS, ISO/IEC 27001) and the newly introduced AI Management System (ISO/IEC 42001:2023). TM One will provide operational security capabilities for monitoring and incident response, while SIRIM Academy will deliver professional certification programmes aligning with standards requirements and national frameworks. To ensure compliance, organisations can further leverage TM One’s Managed Security Services including its Security Operations Centre (SOC), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Managed Detection and Response (MDR), and Threat Intelligence, which offers continuous protection. The agreement also facilitates joint go-to-market opportunities, with TM One or SIRIM Academy leading client engagements as needed. The collaboration was formally made through an exchange of documents between Shanti Jusnita Johari, TM One’s Executive Vice President, and Dr. Mohd Bakri bin Jali, SIRIM Academy’s Chief Executive Officer (Covering), symbolising the start of a shared commitment to advance Malaysia’s digital trust and governance. Shanti Jusnita Johari said, “This partnership with SIRIM Academy reaffirms TM One’s position as a trusted digital enabler for enterprises and government. By embedding training, consultation and certification into our secure digital infrastructure, we ensure compliance is not only achieved on paper but sustained in practice. Together, we are building the human talent and governance frameworks needed for Malaysia to thrive as an advanced digital nation.” Echoing this, Dr. Mohd Bakri bin Jali also highlighted SIRIM Academy’s commitment, “As the training, consultancy and standards development arm of SIRIM Berhad, SIRIM Academy is committed to raising Malaysia’s industry standards and certification readiness. Partnering with TM One allows us to integrate our expertise in standards implementation with their operational capabilities, enabling organisations to adopt ISMS, AI governance and digital trust practices more effectively. This synergy enhances Malaysia’s competitiveness in the digital economy.” The partnership is the latest milestone in TM’s aspiration to become a Digital Powerhouse by 2030, ensuring enterprises and government agencies are equipped with secure, compliant and future-ready digital solutions.

TM AND GOVT INTRODUCE NEXT-GEN 999 EMERGENCY SYSTEM

KUALA LUMPUR, 16 November 2025 – Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications, has made available the Next Generation Emergency Response Services 999 (NG MERS 999), representing a significant enhancement to the nation’s emergency communications infrastructure. This milestone follows the 2024 agreement between both parties, reinforcing their commitment to deliver smarter, faster and more inclusive emergency services across the country. A key highlight is the enhanced SaveME 999 mobile application, which now provides Malaysians, including people with special needs and assistance, with direct access to 999 operators through video, text, and multimedia-based distress alerts. This places Malaysia among the first in the world to operationalise nationwide inclusive digital emergency access at large scale. Members of the public may continue to call 999 as usual. The SaveME 999 app serves as an additional option, particularly for those who require accessible features. The NG MERS 999 is a fully digital, integrated platform that replaces the legacy MERS 999 system which is also developed and operated by TM. The upgraded system enhances operational efficiency, optimises resource deployment, and significantly improves response times across more than 800 locations nationwide. Amar Huzaimi Md Deris, TM’s Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “TM is proud to stand alongside the Ministry of Communications in delivering this vital national infrastructure that protects lives and strengthens our resilience. NG MERS 999 represents a leap forward in Malaysia’s digital transformation, harnessing AI and multi-channel communications to empower faster, smarter and more inclusive emergency response for all.” He added, “Inclusivity sits at the heart of NG MERS 999. The enhanced SaveME 999 and the Responder App put critical technologies directly in the hands of users and responders, enabling a faster and more optimised emergency response. This reflects TM’s commitment to building a more connected, secure and digitally resilient Malaysia on its journey to becoming a Digital Powerhouse by 2030” Malaysia is setting a new benchmark in emergency response with the adoption of Advanced Mobile Location (AML) for precise caller geolocation, a unified five-agency 999 platform, and strengthened digital accessibility for PwDs. These capabilities mirror, and in several areas exceed, implementations seen in advanced emergency systems internationally.   Advanced Technology and Inclusivity Developed and operated by TM, the NG MERS 999 integrates AI-powered analytics, geolocation services, and secure sovereign cloud hosting to streamline emergency call management and enable real-time decision-making. Two key applications – SaveME 999 (for the public to send multimedia alerts with GPS data) and the Responder App (for real-time tracking and coordination among emergency agencies) – ensure faster response and improved outcomes in life-critical situations. Aligned with the NG112 framework and built to stringent ISO-certified benchmarks, NG MERS 999 reinforces Malaysia’s public safety infrastructure and readiness for the digital future. With NG MERS 999, every emergency call is now met with greater speed, accuracy, and care — reinforcing Malaysia’s position as a leader in digital public safety innovation.

TM R&D’s Customer-focused innovations recognised at the Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards

In-house smart solutions for Fixed Wireless Access connectivity and customer experience platform for frontliners awarded under “Connectivity-Telecommunications” and “AI-IT Services” categories respectively ​Telekom Research & Development Sdn Bhd (TM R&D), the innovation arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), recently bagged two awards at the Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards 2022, organised by the Singapore Business Review. The Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards spotlights exceptional companies who are technology disruptors that boosts Malaysia’s economy. TM’s Fast Internet for All (FIRA) solution was bestowed the award under the “Connectivity-Telecommunications” category, while TM’s Single Platform on Intelligent Customer Experience (SPICE.ai) won the award in the “Artificial Intelligence (AI)-IT Services” category. Commenting on these awards, Dr. Sharlene Thiagarajah, Chief Executive Officer, TM R&D said, “I couldn’t be prouder of my team as these awards reflect their commitment to meet the fast-evolving digital needs of today’s customers and strengthen our position as a research leader in these fields. This recognition also reaffirms our efforts in building smarter digital ecosystems to facilitate the ease with which Malaysians can embrace a more digital lifestyle, while also bringing progress to the nation.” FIRA was introduced as a way to support the government in providing Malaysians with quality access to digital connectivity nationwide. Aimed at offering better internet service to underserved communities, FIRA uses Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) technologies to improve connectivity in rural areas across Malaysia. Since its first deployment in Malacca back in July 2020, the solution has demonstrated promising success in improving download and upload link speeds compared to other broadband services. The solution has since been implemented at a rural school in Selangor and at Pusat Komuniti Desa sites under the Ministry of Rural Development. It has also supported an IR4.0 use case in Terengganu. “FIRA is formulated to address two common issues: coverage and speed.  The solution is capable to deliver connectivity up to 50Mbps within 5-8km range, compared to a traditional 4G cell within 1km range. Furthermore, with its quick deployment procedures, FIRA can help mitigate customers’ connectivity concerns in a cost-effective and timely manner,” shared Dr. Sharlene. SPICE.ai, on the other hand, aims to assist frontliners in their daily task of addressing customer service enquiries and requests. Dr Sharlene explained, “SPICE.ai consists of multiple components that cover different parts of an existing customer experience system. By integrating these components, frontliners gain a more holistic view of each customers’ profiles. The solution then implements real-time analytics to improve customer experience, giving frontliners the right information at the right time which allows them to deliver a better experience to customers.” This analytics system has been deployed nationwide for nearly two years and becomes the primary touchpoint for more than 5,000 TM frontliners in most customer interactions across multiple channels. The performance of SPICE.ai has proven to be reliable and seamless even when integrated with more than 20 existing, standalone systems and was still able to relay the processed information through one single platform, on top of providing analytics and advisory. Established in 2001, TM R&D is the innovation arm of 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 pillars namely Intelligent Platforms, Data Brokerage, Connectivity/Tools and IR4.0/Digital Solutions. Growing from strength to strength, 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 developed in-house and cut across multiple industries such as Utilities, Retail, Agriculture, Healthcare and Education, with safety and productivity as its top priority.

NEWSLETTER

Just drop your details and stay updated with the world of Telekom Malaysia. We promise – no spam!​