In recognition of its transformative approach to software and technology that can lead to the creation of new approaches and prospects
Telekom Research & Development Sdn Bhd (TM R&D), the innovation arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), recently won the Innovative Tech Companies of the Year Award at the Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Awards (ACES) 2022, organised by MORS Group. The award was conferred to TM R&D in recognition of its transformative approach to software and technology, demonstrating that its tech innovations can lead to the creation of new approaches and prospects.
Dr Sharlene Thiagarajah, Chief Executive Officer, TM R&D accepted the award from Shanggari B., Chief Executive Officer of MORS Group and Luis Nieto, one of the juries for the ACES Awards 2022.
“This is a proud moment for the TM R&D team. Winning this award illustrates that we are on the right track. The transformative approach in our work will help propel Malaysia to be a nation of producers, instead of consumers. Our ability to produce will lead to greater sustainability of our country,” Dr Sharlene expressed her gratitude on receiving the award. “Our achievements are shaped by the discipline, focus and determination we have instilled, and I would like to thank our team for their commitment towards excellence.”
TM R&D is a world-class R&D company that helps businesses solve operational issues and co-create solutions for the global market. It focuses on intelligent platforms, IR4.0 technologies and connectivity to create smarter business ecosystems. The company strives to stay relevant with new innovative solutions that the market cannot do without and takes on projects that provide multifold benefits to organisations.
Among its strengths is the local in-house talents that can make, create and innovate as well as provide thought leadership on infrastructure for the future. Acknowledging that nurturing talent is crucial to the business, TM R&D also offers emerging skills learning and development programmes such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Data Science & Analytics and Data Engineering for its employees.
Because its products and solutions are developed in-house, TM R&D is able to customise its innovations based on customers’ needs, addressing their specific pain points and meeting their customers demand (B2B2C) – embracing the Group’s aspiration of becoming a human-centred TechCo. Every product and solution that is developed contains embedded security, analytics and AI hence expanding its functionalities and delivering maximum benefits to the users.
TM R&D’s main aspiration is to create and deliver the next Unicorn for TM and ultimately for Malaysia. To support this, it holds fast to the three (3) pillars of its business, which are exploratory research, co-creation with industry, and commercialisation thus making life and business easier with smarter ecosystems to enrich humanity and bring progress to nations.
The ACES awards is among the most prestigious accolades that recognise inspiring leaders and sustainability advocates cross-industry across Asia. The awards value services and achievements of businesses of any nature respected for their contributions to their communities and the world. For more info about ACES Awards, visit https://www.acesawards.com/.
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TM One and MPSJ embarks on 5G demonstration project in Subang Jaya
Local communities set to experience ultimate 5G experience with smart solutions; in line with the aspiration to become a Vibrant City by 2030 TM One, the enterprise and public sector business solutions arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) and Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya (MPSJ) today inked a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) for the deployment of three (3) 5G-enabled use cases, namely the Smart Traffic Light, Smart Parking and Smart Safety & Security solutions at SS15, in Subang Jaya as part of the 5G Demonstration Project (5GDP) undertaken by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). The MoC was signed by Ahmad Taufek Omar, Executive Vice President / Chief Executive Officer, TM One while MPSJ was represented by TPr. Hjh Noraini Roslan, Yang DiPertua, MPSJ. YAB Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, Menteri Besar of Selangor together with Tuan Haji Rosli Man, Chairman, TM and Gerard Lim, Chief Digital Officer of MCMC witnessed the signing. Also present at the event were YB Michelle Ng, ADUN for Subang Jaya as well as representatives from the State Executive Council. Commenting on the collaboration, Tuan Haji Rosli said; "We are proud and excited to join forces with MPSJ in supporting MCMC's 5G Demonstration Project to deploy 5G infrastructure and services to Malaysians. The use cases that we are rolling out in all of our 5GDP locations are particularly selected to address the specific challenges faced by the community and stakeholders at the respective locations. For Subang Jaya, we have, together with MPSJ, identified prior to the project that parking, congestion and safety issues are among the community's top concerns. Today, TM and MPSJ are together in demonstrating how smart cities can be powered by 5G and Subang Jaya is indeed a perfect location to demonstrate these capabilities. We hope that throughout the 5GDP period, we will be able to show how 5G-enabled solutions can solve the challenges and create an Ultimate Smart City Experience for Subang Jaya, making it a smart city pioneer in Malaysia. This is in support of the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission's (MCMC) efforts in progressing humanity towards improving the quality of lives of the Rakyat." "We hope as 5G becomes a reality, the communities will experience better streaming and connectivity and this will certainly bring a multitude of benefits to Subang Jaya city. Streets, buildings, public and personal devices need to be interconnected in order to manage the resources and operations in Subang Jaya. This can only be cost-effective and efficient if they are automated and connected and this is in line with MPSJ efforts to make Subang Jaya a safe, green, smart, prosperous, healthy and women-friendly municipality. MPSJ plans to install more than 100 high-tech CCTV cameras in the SS15 commercial area to monitor parking and traffic flow and under the proposed pilot project, the CCTVs would be equipped with enhanced technology and algorithms that could gauge the behaviour of motorists and alert MPSJ or the police if any urgent action is required," said TPr. Hjh Noraini. Noraini added that it is MPSJ's hope that this initiative and collaboration will realise MPSJ's aspiration to become a Smart City by 2030 and at the same time, support the Selangor state government vision towards making Selangor as the pioneer smart city by 2025. Through this partnership, TM One and MPSJ agree to jointly collaborate in the deployment of the 5G network with the rollout of the three (3) use cases, where the transmission of TM's 5G service and the use cases have been fully operational since November 2019. Both parties have also agreed to undertake joint marketing and promotion activities of the use cases in SS15, Subang Jaya for a duration of six (6) months. Ahmad Taufek added, "5G is the next-generation network that will serve as the enabling technology for the Internet of Things (IoT), leading to many transformative smart solutions such as the Smart City Solutions and beyond. TM, via our innovative and comprehensive products and solutions will continue to lay the foundation for Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0) and enabling IoT – to serve a more digital society and lifestyle, digital businesses and industry verticals, as well as digital Government. TM ONE as the enterprise and public sector business solutions arm of TM is committed to support the Group's role as the national telecommunications infrastructure provider of Malaysia's Digital Nation aspirations - that has established the communications backbone of Malaysia with the widest connectivity and convergence network." TM ONE's 5G-enabled Smart Traffic Light solution programmes traffic lights to respond to real-time, rich data collected by connected high-definition (HD) cameras and sensors, to enable improved traffic flow and reduces idle time at red lights. The Smart Parking solution enables real time parking bay monitoring using HD camera and Artificial Intelligence (AI), so users are able to search for vacant parking bay and navigate via path finder to reduce the time spent searching for the spot. Meanwhile, MPSJ enforcers can monitor parking occupancy and illegal parking incidents from the command centre and deploy resources more efficiently, thereby reducing traffic congestion at outdoor parking areas. The Smart Safety and Security solution provides advanced surveillance and real-time monitoring through video streaming from sensors and HD camera. Powered by AI capabilities, and integrated with TM's emergency response team, immediate action can be deployed in case of emergencies, as well as predictive analysis on actual incident situation for proactive response. Apart from the three use cases deployed in partnership with MPSJ, TM deploys three (3) other use cases through its research and development arm, TM R&D Sdn Bhd (TM R&D). Two (2) use cases - Smart Retail Analytics and Smart Water System are deployed at private commercial premises in SS15, Subang Jaya while Smart Vehicle will be implemented at TM Fleet in the area. Earlier last week, the Company announced that it has begun transmission of 5G service in Pulau Langkawi, where it is deploying the first 5G Stand Alone (SA) network, and will be demonstrating more 5G use cases there.

TM AND SINGTEL’S NXERA FORM JOINT VENTURE TO DEVELOP NEXT-GENERATION DATA CENTRES
KUALA LUMPUR, SINGAPORE, 18 JUNE 2024 – TM is partnering Nxera, the regional data centre arm of Singtel’s Digital InfraCo unit, in a joint venture to develop data centres in Malaysia starting with a sustainable, hyper-connected AI-ready data centre campus in Johor. This strategic partnership aims to serve the needs of hyperscalers, next-generation AI application providers and enterprises pursuing accelerated digitalisation and cloud in the region. The joint venture is a unique proposition, bolstered by the extensive subsea cable networks of TM and Singtel’s Digital InfraCo which provide global connectivity and enhanced network performance with lower latency and improved reliability. Amar Huzaimi Md Deris, TM’s Group Chief Executive Officer, said, "Establishing a hyper-connected AI-ready data centre marks the next phase in our long-standing partnership with Singtel, leveraging our strengths and commitment to elevate ASEAN as the preferred digital hub destination. TM brings the largest domestic network infrastructure, extensive international subsea cable systems and the largest interconnected DC in Malaysia, a solid backbone for this project. This will serve as a catalyst for high performance computing and lay a solid foundation for the future advancement of cloud and AI applications. This collaboration of two main telcos in the region is unique and has positive impact to the development of digital ecosystem that not only benefit the businesses but also nurturing future talent. Through this partnership, TM continues to demonstrate its dedication to delivering innovative and sustainable solutions, marking a pivotal step in our aspiration to becoming a Digital Powerhouse by 2030.” Bill Chang, CEO of Nxera and Singtel's Digital InfraCo unit, said, "We are excited to enter the Malaysian market with TM as our strategic partner. This collaboration advances our vision to be the region’s leading sustainable, hyperconnected AI-ready data centre platform, supporting businesses with the digital infrastructure needed for the growing demand for cloud, digitalisation and AI. The development of this first data centre campus in Johor, which can be expanded in phases, demonstrates our ability to scale quickly in markets that are important to our customers. With our joint industry expertise and strong track record, we will build and operate one of the most efficient, sustainable and connectivity-rich data centres in Malaysia. In addition to data centres, we will be expanding the submarine cable connectivity between Singapore and Johor to enhance digital connectivity. Our joint venture will also partner institutes of higher learning in Malaysia to nurture talent for our projects and the industry. Our strategy of developing data centre sites with close proximity to our operations in Singapore allow us to capture spill-over demand from our customers and help them scale their business with confidence.” Located in Iskandar Puteri, just 16 km from Singapore, the data centre campus will be the largest to date for both TM and Nxera. It will be built to the latest standards for reliability, security and sustainability while offering the best local and international connectivity. With its close proximity to subsea cable links between Singapore and Malaysia, the data centre will be well-placed to support the increasing demand from both countries’ digitalisation and development initiatives. The initial phase of the data centre is planned for 64MW and can be scaled up to 200MW in response to market demand. This high-power density campus will be able to host large computing and AI capabilities such as requirements by cloud hyperscalers, GPU-as-a-Service providers and features advanced technologies such as liquid cooling to support high-power density workloads and operations efficiently. The data centre will be a LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building, emphasising its commitment to greater energy efficiency and sustainable practices. As Malaysia’s integrated telco and technology leader, TM will contribute its expertise in the region’s network infrastructure deployment to deliver customised range of wholesale data, connectivity, data centre and platform solutions catering to both local and international needs. Additionally, TM also provides Cloud services via its sovereign Cloud Alpha Edge solution. TM currently operates seven data centres across Malaysia with 2 core data centres located in Klang Valley and Johor. Its entry into the Asia Link Cable Systems (ALC) partnership facilitates the laying of a submarine cable system spanning approximately 7,200km, with an initial design capacity of 24 Terabits/sec. Coupled with the establishment of an international Cable Landing Station at TM Exchange Kuala Sedili, Johor, these serve as vital infrastructure enhancements to accelerate the growth of the data centre industry in the state. Nxera is a rapidly growing regional platform backed by Singtel and leading global investment firm KKR, leveraging its data centre operations in Singapore to expand overseas. Customers can also tap into a host of services such as Singtel’s Paragon cloud orchestration platform and upcoming GPU-as-a-Service. They will be able to orchestrate their AI workloads in a multi-network and multi-cloud environment, serving as a catalyst for greater innovation, entrepreneurship and business excellence. Nxera is developing three new AI-ready data centres in the region in addition to 62MW of existing capacity in Singapore. This includes a new 58MW data centre in Tuas, Singapore and data centres with partners in Indonesia and Thailand. Nxera’s total pipeline capacity is set to increase from its current operational capacity of 62MW in Singapore to more than 200MW in the region in the next three years. The data centres will be served by Digital InfraCo's comprehensive network of subsea fibre-optic cables which provide customers with the best country-to-country connectivity in the Asia Pacific region.

TM R&D Continues its award winning streak at the World Communication Awards 2020
The Company’s internally-developed smarter digital solutions for IoT of Water and energy management received global recognitions for innovation. Telekom Research & Development Sdn Bhd (TM R&D), the innovation arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), recently bagged two (2) awards at the prestigious World Communication Awards 2020 organised virtually in London, United Kingdom. The awards, the fourth and fifth received by TM R&D this year, were conferred to TM R&D for its innovative solutions namely Smart Water Integrated Management System (SWIMS) under the IoT Innovation Award category while Enterprise Energy Management System (EENT) received the recognition under the Data Innovation Award category. Commenting on the milestone achievement, Dr. Sharlene Thiagarajah, Chief Executive Officer, TM R&D said, "This is indeed a proud moment for us at TM R&D. For our internally-developed smart solutions to be recognised at the World Communication Awards, it is indeed a huge encouragement for us to further strengthen our position as the leader in research, development and innovation field. This double win is a remarkable feat and my heartiest congratulations to everyone in the TM R&D team who has put tremendous efforts in providing the best for our customers and partners." "In addition, we will continue to innovate with purpose and introduce smarter digital solutions that will enhance and transform lives and businesses while simultaneously supporting TM's aspirations and unique role as the enabler of Digital Malaysia.," she added. In the global telecommunications industry, the World Communication Awards are the most revered mark of achievement. For over 22 years, the awards have recognised innovation excellence in global telecoms companies and attract hundreds of submissions annually. SWIMS is an Internet of Water (IoW) solution, essentially doing for water what Internet of Things (IoT) does for various other industries and verticals such as electric utilities, transportation, smart cities and factory automation. It enables in-depth, new insights into the operations and the right tools to act on those insights. "SWIMS offers end-to-end smart water management that improves non-revenue water management. It optimises the repair and replacement of ageing water infrastructure as well as improves responses to weather events such as water level and quality. The solution has now been commercially-deployed, bringing real innovation to the public," shared Dr. Sharlene. Another recognition received by TM R&D at the World Communication Awards was for EENT. It is a universal internet of energy management solution developed as an agnostic platform to cater for all types of IoT devices, system designs, geographical demand, multi-tenancy or budgeting, with its backend connected to an in-house IoT hosting platform. "EENT offers a seamless end-to-end smart energy monitoring system that improves energy management, optimises energy use as well as improves response to energy saving plan. It adopts big data architectures and analytics technologies, turning the data challenge into an opportunity and ultimately driving revenue, profit or cost reduction," she revealed. Established in 2001, TM R&D is the centre of innovation for TM Group focusing on innovations that enriches humanity and bring progress to nations. Growing from strength to strength since 2016, TM R&D has won 19 globally recognised awards and generated more than 2,800 Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and 1,400 digital assets to-date. TM R&D's innovations all developed in-house 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 products and services, they can be contacted at business@tmrnd.com.my or log on to www.tmrnd.com.my or follow them on LinkedIn (TM Research & Development) for more news and updates.