Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) through its foundation arm, Yayasan TM (YTM)  continues to support the nation's creative industry development by hosting IMMERSIO Festival in collaboration with Filamen at Muzium Telekom Kuala Lumpur. The festival is one of the unique large-scale Art & Technology experiential exhibitions to be staged in the city centering on New Media Art, NFT Crypto Art and Immersive Art, featuring more than 60 local digital artists and collectives from Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Penang, Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak.

IMMERSIO was established in 2017 with the objective to bring together new media artists from around Kuala Lumpur and the region to exhibit their work marrying arts and technology. After a 2-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the event is back for its fourth (4th) instalment. This month, the festival will occupy Muzium Telekom for the first time, throughout the 27,000 sqft venue in the heart of Kuala Lumpur with 12 immersive installations and 7 workshops as well as talks. Situated within the 94-years old heritage building, Muzium Telekom traces the history of telecommunications in Malaysia from the 1870s up to the present, and IMMERSIO with the theme Mengukir pays homage to the country's achievements in digital infrastructure.

Bringing together like-minded emerging and well-established artists, YTM aims to create more meaningful and accessible relationships between people, cultural heritage and the digital world through art and technology. Among the line-up is the Kuala Lumpur based artist, Jun Ong's kinetic installation "Beacon", an expression of the sensorial response to the extinction of nature. Visitors are also invited to take a walk around the room featuring "In Soul in the Fabric of Society", an installation of songket handwoven fabrics by a collective of women weavers from Sarawak known as Tanoti, as well as art installation using fiber optic materials by Cheong See Min, a weaver and textile artist based in Johor. Walking into the exhibition, the visitors will experience Network, an audio installation of telecommunication soundbites from the classic landline telephone to 5G radio waves specially curated by artist duo iwaz and Martian Backline. Conceived partly in response to the Covid-19 crisis, which has been a time of isolation for many, the installation reminds us to be grateful for advancement of technologies that we often take for granted.

YTM aims to transform this heritage museum into a vibrant and versatile public arts space that enable artists, collectors and art lovers to immerse themselves to experience these new art mediums in new exciting ways and at the same time provide a platform for inspiring talents including TM Group's own Multimedia University (MMU) students to showcase their creativity and innovation at Muzium Telekom. Holding on to the higher principle of ensuring that no one gets left behind in this digital age, YTM is also exhibiting the extraordinary artworks from WE&I and Nakseni gifted artists in the Virtual Reality (VR) Gallery. The festival will be also featuring the artwork by Rashwin Kalithas, a five-year old special needs young artist that will be receiving a recognition by The Malaysia Book of Records for the "Youngest Autistic Child to Hold Solo Digital Arts Exhibition" at this Media & Partner Night held at Muzium Telekom.

Commenting on IMMERSIO and the collaboration with Filamen, Director of Yayasan TM, Izlyn Ramli said, "As a purpose driven social impact based foundation, YTM is committed to the development of arts, creative ventures and culture. It is a necessary part of our nation's heritage preservation and celebration but also a key foundation to build our future. Creativity and innovation are not just confined to a certain sector, they are applicable across all fields of life as well as being key life skills as an individual. This must be nurtured and supported by all stakeholders for the betterment of society. Through IMMERSIO, YTM is also activating our digital talent incubator at Muzium Telekom that is part of our third pillar of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, alongside Education and Community and Nation-Building, connecting the dots between youth, talent and creativity to skills development, digital opportunities and collaborative partners."

"This year, YTM has launched The Muzium Telekom Transformation Plan to reactivate and placemake our heritage building as an engaging public space, with the aim of education, entertainment and monetisation opportunities for the communities we serve. One of our placemaking initiatives is "TEMU Weekends", a community-driven creative event that happens every Saturday and Sunday to engage and draw people to Muzium Telekom where they can socialise and hang out together with friends, family and the city. YTM will continue its ongoing mission with future-forward immersive museum exhibits and many more exciting and engaging community programmes" she added.

As the main organiser, Co-founder of Filamen, Abdul Shakir said, " IMMERSIO will become a major platform for local and international artists in art and technology. We hope this will nurture more young talents into the digital medium and new media arts. This platform is also meant to connect and engage different communities to make arts and technology more engaging and accessible. We look forward to build IMMERSIO up further to become one of the leading arts and technology festivals within the region and internationally. Thank you Yayasan TM for this opportunity to utilise and interact with this wonderful space at Muzium Telekom this year!"

The organiser would also like to thank all its partners, especially EPSON Malaysia, Martian Backline, Wonderland, HelioMedia, Experiential Design Team, InTransit, CahayaXR, Lokalocal, WE&I, Nakseni and event partners iNYALA, Kuala Lumpur Art Book Fair, Kuala Lumpur Illustration Fair and Klang River Festival for their invaluable efforts and commitment to make this the best experience for the visitors.

Also present today to officiate IMMERSIO's Media & Partner Night at Muzium Telekom was Datuk TPr Sulaiman Mohamed, Executive Director (Planning), Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur.

With a one-month curated programme ranging from talks, exhibits, audio-visual shows, and advanced digital art workshops, it is a chance for the public to be a part of the buzzing local digital arts scene, make new connections, and take home some very useful knowledge.

Come and explore IMMERSIO the exciting digital arts and innovations exhibition from 5th – 27th November 2022 (1030am-1030pm) at Muzium Telekom! Details are also available on the related digital and social media accounts of YTM and Filamen.

• Yayasan TM Facebook – www.facebook.com/yayasantm
• Yayasan TM Instagram – www.instagram.com/yayasantm
• Yayasan TM Linkedin – www.linkedin.com/company/yayasantm
• Filamen Facebook - www.facebook.com/wearefilamen
• Filamen Instagram - www.instagram.com/wearefilamen

Strengthening Unifi’s fixed-mobile convergence offering, TM aims to deliver seamless 5G transition and spur Malaysia’s 5G adoption and digital capabilities

​Telekom Malaysia Berhad (“TM” or “the Group”) is uniquely positioned to accelerate Malaysia’s 5G adoption, as the Group leverages its convergence leadership in delivering seamless fixed and mobile services to customers and businesses.

Following the signing of DNB’s Access Agreement on 30 October 2022, TM launched the first phase of its 5G services today, offering unlimited 5G data to existing Unifi Mobile Postpaid customers, as well as new Postpaid and Prepaid customers.

“DNB’s Access Agreement provides a level playing field for telcos to access the single 5G network equally, to deliver a wider range of innovative services,” said Imri Mokhtar, TM’s Group CEO.

“Leveraging this equal entry into 5G plus our current suite of connectivity and digital solutions, TM will be better placed to drive innovation and digital transformation at a national level, aligning with key digital programmes such as JENDELA and MyDigital to competitively position Malaysia as a technology hub.”  

“5G will reinforce TM’s leadership in fixed-mobile converged services for our consumer and MSME segments, strengthening our mobile capabilities to provide the widest and fastest all-in-one solution for fixed broadband, mobile service and digital content that meets today’s digital lifestyles and workstyles,” Imri added.

Acknowledging that one of the critical factors in 5G adoption is the willingness of customers to purchase new 5G-enabled devices, Unifi Mobile will also offer bundled 5G service-and-device plans, catering to a range of price points to ensure customer affordability from all backgrounds.

With 5G currently covering more than 33% of populated areas throughout Malaysia, this first phase is key to grow TM’s reach and presents the opportunity for a new push in Unifi’s convergence play, riding on its strength of 3 million households and close to 400,000 MSME customers. 5G will also strengthen Unifi’s proposition as a preferred digital partner for MSMEs, to provide complete one-stop services to accelerate their business growth.

Additionally, via TM One, its enterprise and Government sector arm, TM recently launched its 5G Sphere, a circle of leading technology and smart solution partners to form an ecosystem that will accelerate the co-creation of 5G innovative use-cases, taking enterprise 5G transformation from ideation to realisation. To date, there are 39 partners in this programme. TM’s nation-building efforts with the Government will also speed-up the availability of smart city, smart industry and 5G-enabled applications, creating a more sustainable and inclusive digital society and economy.

Simultaneously, TM continues to modernise the country’s fibre network architecture, integrating automation and virtualisation technologies to boost back-end infrastructures that will support the anticipated demand for 5G services and capabilities.

Ahead of this commercial launch, TM took strides to ramp up its 5G capabilities to grow its mobile and fixed-mobile convergence position, having recently appointed a seasoned industry leader, Jasmine Lee, as its Executive Vice President, Mobile and Chief Executive Officer of webe, as well as onboarding senior mobile talents to strengthen its innovation and competitiveness.

“As we transform to become a human-centred TechCo, TM’s 5G commitment goes beyond connectivity to enabling our interconnected society reshape the way we live and work. We recognise the value that this next-gen technology will bring to communities, businesses and the Government, and will continue to explore new ways to make 5G and digital progress accessible to all,” Imri concluded.

​Facilitates the development of localised Emergency Response Plans

Over the years, Yayasan TM (YTM) has been actively involved in disaster emergency response efforts and lent its helping hand to affected communities in various ways. With many tragic losses of life and property due to natural disasters, it is imperative to help the public better understand the importance of preparedness, the risks involved and build capacities for pre-emptive and early action, including identifying vulnerabilities and potential impact on people and assets.

Through its latest initiative, the YTM-Istana Negara Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Programme (CBDRRM), organised in collaboration with Istana Negara, the programme is aimed at empowering communities, especially women and children as well as building community resilience during disasters with the necessary knowledge and skills in disaster preparedness - in alignment to the Government's aspiration to nurture a disaster preparedness culture among Malaysians.

For the inaugural edition of the programme, YTM identified three (3) high-risk areas in Kuantan, Maran and Bentong districts in Pahang. This is also a continuation of the support to the local communities post-flood early this year where YTM, together with Istana Negara provided basic necessities, workforce and monetary assistance to citizens in Karak, Ulu Tembeling and Kuantan districts.

“This CBDRRM programme is both important and timely, in view of frequent heavy rain and storms of late. We hope that the local communities will fully utilise the skills and knowledge obtained from the initiative, to be better prepared for in the event of any flood incidents in their respective areas, minimising the impact and ultimately, saving lives,” said Izlyn Ramli, Director of YTM.  

“We were delighted to find that these modules were very helpful for them based on their feedback. Meanwhile, we remain ready to deploy response and humanitarian aid should the need arise,” she added.

The first one was held in August 2022 for the community in Perumahan Awam Kos Rendah (PAKR) Sungai Pandan, Kuantan, which saw a total of 120 participants attending, while the second was held in Maran in September.

With the support of the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) as well as the TM Reaching Out Volunteers (TMROVers), the programme was conducted by 12 humanitarian experts with vast disaster response experience, including risk and reduction management from Red A Humanitarian Global. The modules highlighted the importance of disaster preparedness, hands-on sessions to develop localised Emergency Response Plans, water safety and practical swimming, as well as simulation exercises. The participants were also briefed on mental health management and creating children-friendly spaces (CFS) as an added element.

For any emergency response plan to work, active participation from the community becomes crucial. During the programme, the communities were also connected to their local government agencies such as the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (BOMBA), Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), Malaysia Civil Defence Force (APM), Jabatan Pengairan & Saliran (JPS) Negeri Pahang for better disaster response in the future.

The third and final session was organised recently in Bentong in collaboration with Istana Negara and attended by 125 participants. Via the three (3) series of CBDRRM in Pahang, YTM has reached a total of 458 community members and local government agencies; inclusively, empowering 123 female participants and 167 children and teenagers.

This initiative is aligned with our aspiration to build capacity in disaster preparedness among community members, especially women and children, who are considered first responders’ priority when a disaster occurs. YTM will continuously support the community for better disaster preparedness and response through community leadership and self-empowerment.

TM One’s annual flagship event LEAP Summit returns for a fifth year, anchoring on the theme ‘Enabling Your Next: Innovate and Transform’

TM One, the enterprise and government sector business solutions arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), held its high-impact annual flagship event, LEAP Summit 2022 today, aimed at propelling enterprise innovation and transformation as Malaysian businesses take advantage of the nation’s initial economic recovery.

The fifth in its series, LEAP Summit 2022 themed ‘Enabling Your Next: Innovate & Transform’, brought together world-class digital experts and over 200 of Malaysia’s top decision makers to better understand how these leaders could unleash their innovation potential and take their businesses to the next level.

Imri Mokhtar, Group Chief Executive Officer of TM, in his welcoming address said that increased customer expectations for digital services and platforms are reshaping how enterprises work and conduct their business.

He also explained that in order to keep up with these new trends, enterprises must fast-track their transformation to virtualised cloud-based services, leverage digital networks to modernise legacy processes, accelerate workflow efficiency, and strengthen cybersecurity. This will improve business offerings and overall customer experience, leading to increased growth and profitability.

Kicking off LEAP Summit 2022 was Netflix’s Co-Founding Executive, Mitch Lowe, who emphasised the need for being brave in order to become a leader of the industry and to remain relevant. Having grown with the entertainment industry from video stores and DVD kiosks, to founding one of the most successful over the top (OTT) content services, Lowe shared that the habit of transformation is built by constantly looking to solve the problems faced by the customers and the industry.

Building on this need for organisations to constantly evolve, the event then featured a panel session with Paul Nicholls, Telstra Purple’s Digital Transformation Practice Leader with Telstra’s global partners Airspeeder (the F1 for Electric Flying Vehicle) and Bata Global (world's largest shoe manufacturer), which was moderated by Ching-Fong (CF) Ong, Managing Director & Senior Partner
from Boston Consulting Group; who deep dove into real examples of transformation, spanning multiple technologies and geographies, which centres around customers.

Bringing the conversation closer to home, industry leaders Datuk Hj Bacho Pilong, Senior Vice President, Project Delivery & Technology, PETRONAS; Fabian Bigar, Chief Executive Officer, MyDIGITAL; Effendy Shahul Hamid, Chief Executive Officer, CIMB Digital Assets; Ir. Dr. Lim Eu Shawn, Chief Global Solutions Officer, Aerodyne Group; also weighed in on transformation within the Malaysian context and its role in future-proofing businesses and the nation to progress from surviving to thriving. This discussion was moderated by Manoj Menon, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of twimbit.

Commenting about this year’s event, Shazurawati Abd Karim, Executive Vice President of TM One said, “TM One’s LEAP Summit is part of our continuous commitment to enable organisations to prepare for their next advantage, today and tomorrow. With one of the common challenges faced by organisations being how to start or even expand their innovation and transformation journey, we connect them to world-class leaders to open up new ideas and possibilities that enterprises can put into motion.”


TM One 5G Sphere Programme – enabling enterprises’ ‘Next’, now

LEAP Summit 2022 also witnessed the inauguration of TM One’s 5G Sphere Programme, an alliance of Malaysia’s leading technology and smart solution partners to create an ecosystem to support the next phase of enterprise innovation and transformation, leveraging 5G.

Harnessing 5G capabilities to power connected technologies to improve performance and customer experience, real-time detection, instant analysis and action for efficiency, as well as increased safety while reducing down-time through smart solutions, TM One’s 5G Sphere offers the opportunity for enterprises to springboard their transformation through actual case studies and proof of concepts that address their unique business challenges.


TM One 5G Solutions for enterprises and the government sector

TM One’s latest-in-class showcase during LEAP Summit 2022 also spotlighted 5G-enabled applications for Smart Healthcare, Smart Industry and Smart Cities, along with several digital solutions and services, demonstrating the latest end-to-end technologies available to enterprises and the public sector to spur on their digital growth.

Shazurawati explained, “The next phase of smart innovative transformation will be 5G-driven opportunities, with capabilities such as video monitoring, logistics, fleet management, and private 5G networks powering manufacturing, transport, factories, and campuses already on the horizon.”

“Moving forward, optimal 5G business solutions will arise from smart collaborations and coalitions among industry leaders, accelerating the next phase of technology adoption by both industry and the country as a whole, and enabling our aspirations for a Digital Malaysia,” she concluded.