PUTRAJAYA: Fortunately, it was a trial run. A video conference between the health minister and the Terengganu state health director descended into a farce as the two were unable to communicate.
At one point, minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek told Dr Nordianah Hassan to “stand still and speak into the microphone … I can’t hear what you’re saying”.

Dr Chua was launching the ministry’s RM2 million National Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) at its Disease Control Division with a mock video conference with Dr Nordianah about an outbreak of upper respiratory tract infection among the students of two schools.

Her voice, sometimes loud, sometimes soft, and at times completely inaudible, Dr Nordianah had to repeat her presentation twice because of a poor connection.

Finally, a frustrated Dr Chua gave up and moved on to complete his schedule at the CPRC — with a few choice words for the telecommunications authorities.

“Malaysian telephone lines need to be upgraded. It’s the truth. It’s so difficult to get a clear line,” he fumed.
You can read more here, “Video Conference Becomes a Farce” at The New Straits Times. Does anyone know whether this video conferencing was over an internet connection (Computers, Streaming) or over normal telephone lines (Video Phone Hardware)? I know it mentions in the article that it is “telephone lines”, however, was it really, or was it video streaming over a “broadband” connection? How advanced is this technology used, really? And of course - who’s to blame?

According to this story on The Star - TM, ASPs in Pricing Tiff,a pro-tem association of ASPs called the Communications & Multimedia Assocation claim that TM is implementing a strategy that is unfair and anticompetitive to its members. For your information,� ASPs provide their customers with computer- based services delivered via networks provided by carriers like TM. These services include hosted application software and Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications, among others.

The association claims that TM is conducting unfair business practices, stifling competition through monopoly, and breaking Malaysian laws.

(more…)

In not too surprising news, the nation’s broadband penetration rate is still low, despite the government targeting 25 per cent or 1.3 million subscribers by year end.

According to the MCMC, the latest (second quarter of 2006) statistics are 653,100 subscribers or 2.5 percent . At the average of 75,000 broadband subscribers a year, it seems likely to close at 805,000 this year - unless of course, from August 2006 till the end of the year, 495,000 people sign up.
That’s nearly half a million people. That means, in order to succeed, over the next 4 months, an average of 123,750 broadband subscribers need to sign up each month.

While I think that the government’s aspirations are noble, I think the goal setting is off the mark - especially since there doesn’t seem to have been any initiatives to promote broadband adoption, besides the EZ 2 OWN Broadband PC Program.

Readers, can you remember any other initiatives this year to push broadband? Not just private sector companies pushing their own products, but by the government.

On a related note…remember the “Cinta IT, Suka IT” song? You’ll probably remember the song, if not, probably just the chorus maybe. Why not a Kempen Cinta Jalur Lebar (Broadband)? A Broadband Song pehaps?

Seriously though - whichever method chosen, there definitely needs to be perhaps, a more visible campaign to promote broadband adoption. As the goals have been set - something should be done to make sure they are met.

This blog was posted in response to the following article on BeritaTek.

The government has cancelled the tender for the wireless broadband spectrum as the specifications did not meet the government policies, said Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik.

Read the full article at The Edge Daily

“I gave the 3G licence to the two firms to promote content development,” Lim said. “It’s about time.”

Read the full article at The Edge Daily.

“We are confident of the 9MP’s initiatives to bridge the digital divide. However, equipping the nation with PCs is only the first step because it is more important for the people to be empowered,” he said.

Read the full article at The Star Online Tech Central

Mobile Workforce
“Just as important as a knowledge-based workforce are the technologies that enable a mobile workforce. Therefore to empower Malaysia’s knowledgeable and mobile workforce, collaboration tools, efficient management of data and enterprise security will be critical elements that will determine the productivity and competency of our public and private sectors.
“The increasing load of information each worker has to digest and manage will make it an even greater challenge as information becomes an asset that supercedes all others.”
Read the full article at The Edge Daily.

Another focus of ICT development in 9MP includes the accelerated implementation of the National Broadband Plan (NBP) to ensure rapid expansion and uptake of broadband service to reach 13% of the population by 2010, from only 1.9% now.

Read the full article at The Edge Daily.