Internet
MORE advertisers have come to realise the large potential of the Internet, especially in contextual advertising which delivers ads aimed at a certain audience. GOBALA KRISHNAN discusses ways to earn money online using such advertising.
IF you have a website or blog that puts great content and gets a decent amount of traffic, you can easily make money online with contextual advertising.
According to wikipedia, "Contextual advertising is a form of targeted advertising on websites or other media, such as content displayed in mobile browsers. The advertisements themselves are selected and served by automated systems based on the content displayed to the user."
In contrast to traditional banner advertising, contextual ads deliver only the ads that your website visitors or blog readers want to see, based on the content they read or access. This makes it a powerful advertising medium, and ideally benefits the both the reader and publisher.
Making contextual ads work is easy. In most cases, you just need to sign up for contextual ad networks and paste a simple code onto your web-pages. The code then reads the content of your page, and pulls up relevant ads to be served.
Google AdSense
Without doubt, Google Adsense is the biggest contextual advertising network. In fact, if you´re a blogger using the BlogSpot platform, you´re probably already familiar with Google AdSense.
Google Adsense pays you every time someone clicks on your ads. The actual payment per click varies, as it is determined by the bid auction process from Google Adwords, the sister programme where advertisers and publishers actually place ads and pay Google to run those ads on their Adsense "publisher network".
You can easily customise your Google Adsense ads to resemble the look and feel of your blog, and make it integrate nicely with your content.
Google´s technology has improved suchthat it can easily eliminate fraudulent clicks. Therefore, you should never persistently click on your own ads, or you risk being terminated by Google.
For Malaysians, you can get paid either by check or via Western Union. The minimum payout is US$100 (RM330), and cheque payments normally take two to three weeks to arrive.
Other contextual ad networks
There are also several contextual ad networks you can sign up with. Here are some of the more popular ones:
Kontera (www.kontera.com) - Automatically converts keywords on your blog into ads. You can customise the appearance of the links to match your blog.
Infolinks (www.infolinks.com ) - A competitor to Kontera, works in pretty much the same way.
Vibrant Media (www.vibrantmedia.com) - Similar to Kontera, but mostly suited to larger publishers who can generate more than 500,000 monthly pageviews
Chitika (www.chitika.com) - Using their "eMiniMalls" you can easily recommend relevant products (mostly consumer electronics) on your blog or website.
AdBrite (www.adbrite.com) - Use a combination of contextual ads and typical banner ads
* Gobala Krishnan is an expert at web marketing and regularly conducts his own coaching and seminars. You can read his blog at http://www.gobalakrishnan.com
Source: New Straits Times. 5 July 2010
Read more: http://www.mygadgets.my/tipslist.php?id=102/Article/index_html#ixzz10bsAOF6p
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Kingston Digital Launches USB 3.0 Flash Drive
Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0
RM230(16GB), RM345 (32GB), RM620 (64GB)
Price Updated 21 Sep 2010
Kingston has announced that it is shipping its first USB 3.0 Flash drive -- the Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 -- that has up to ten times the data transfer rates of the current USB 2.0 specification.
The DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 has a read speed of 80MB/s and a write speed of 60MB/s. It is available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities.
According to Kingston, a 1 hour 44 minute movie (3.9GB) was written to the drive in 1 minute 13 seconds during internal testing. Similarly, a 2 hour 23 minute DVD (4.4GB) transferred to the drive at a fast 1 minute 23 seconds
To ensure backwards compatibility, Kingston is also including a Y cable as some USB 2.0 ports require it to initialise USB 3.0 drives.
"USB 3.0 is the next major milestone in Flash memory for USB products and Kingston wants to have a solution in the marketplace for early adopters," said Nathan Su, Flash Memory Sales Director, APAC Region, Kingston. "The DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 is our first USB 3.0 Flash drive offering and is designed for enthusiasts who like to embrace new technology before it goes mainstream."
Pricing for the DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 starts at RM230 for 16GB, while the 32GB and 64GB drives are priced at RM345 and RM620 respectively.
Published Date : 21 September 2010
Source : Kingston press release
Read more: http://www.mygadgets.my/product.php?id=1157/Article/index_html#ixzz10boC3Z00
RM230(16GB), RM345 (32GB), RM620 (64GB)
Price Updated 21 Sep 2010
Kingston has announced that it is shipping its first USB 3.0 Flash drive -- the Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 -- that has up to ten times the data transfer rates of the current USB 2.0 specification.
The DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 has a read speed of 80MB/s and a write speed of 60MB/s. It is available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities.
According to Kingston, a 1 hour 44 minute movie (3.9GB) was written to the drive in 1 minute 13 seconds during internal testing. Similarly, a 2 hour 23 minute DVD (4.4GB) transferred to the drive at a fast 1 minute 23 seconds
To ensure backwards compatibility, Kingston is also including a Y cable as some USB 2.0 ports require it to initialise USB 3.0 drives.
"USB 3.0 is the next major milestone in Flash memory for USB products and Kingston wants to have a solution in the marketplace for early adopters," said Nathan Su, Flash Memory Sales Director, APAC Region, Kingston. "The DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 is our first USB 3.0 Flash drive offering and is designed for enthusiasts who like to embrace new technology before it goes mainstream."
Pricing for the DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 starts at RM230 for 16GB, while the 32GB and 64GB drives are priced at RM345 and RM620 respectively.
Published Date : 21 September 2010
Source : Kingston press release
Read more: http://www.mygadgets.my/product.php?id=1157/Article/index_html#ixzz10boC3Z00
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
DiGi MiFi: Net access for your devices
Monday August 23, 2010
By TAN KIT HOONG
intech@thestar.com.my
DiGi's MiFi gets your mobile devices connected to the Internet wherever the company has coverage.
THE nature of my job means that I probably spend more time on the road travelling than the average person. The problem is that even when we're travelling we're often required to work online.
There are a number of carriers offering some kind of wireless USB modem for 3G wireless access but the thing is that these dongles are very dependent on the operating system you use - you're pretty much up the creek without a paddle if you don't have a Windows PC or a Mac machine.
So what do you do? The answer is to get a pocket wireless router. This is where the DiGi MiFi comes in.
What you get
The DiGi MiFi isn't something new - similar products have been available in the United States for some time, but it is only now they are making an appearance in this country.
The hardware itself is actually a Huawei E5 pocket router and it's pretty small. In fact it's no bigger than a regular mobile phone and you can just as easily slip it into a pocket and forget about it.
The back opens up to reveal a SIM card slot and a fairly large battery which accounts for the claimed 4-hour battery life.
DiGi is offering the device for RM360 together with a monthly fee for 16GB Internet access on 3G but beyond the first month payment for the access there is no contract as such - the device is yours to keep and the data plan can be stopped after the first month.
Again, like all of the company's data plans, once you exceed the 16GB data limit you're not charged extra but instead get throttled down to 128Kbps speed from the typical data rate of 700Kbps that DiGi gives you.
Not too bad a deal as 128Kbps is still good enough for general surfing.
In use
Right out of the box, the MiFi is preconfigured with all the settings you need to get Internet access.
Ayou need to do is fire up your notebook/PDA/portable game console or another device, turn on WiFi and then connect to the MiFi like you would a normal WiFi access point.
Initial settings have no wireless security, but the router has all the normal security settings such as setting up a password for the wireless network.
In fact, I would strongly recommend that a user go into the settings and turn on WPA2 security or risk strangers hogging bandwidth when you're out and about.
This is even more important in the case of the MiFi because not only do you have a data cap, but the device itself can only accept five devices logged on at any one time.
You don't want to be locked out of your own wireless access just because a bunch of people at the cafe are connected on the MiFi.
This ability to connect multiple devices at once is also where the MiFi has it's greatest advantage - unlike the USB 3G dongles that most telcos sell, the MiFi is essentially hardware agnostic.
Basically any device which supports WiFi can connect to the MiFi without needing special drivers or even requiring a USB port for that matter.
Configuration
Anybody who has any experience setting up a wireless home router will find the MiFi settings page familiar.
Just connect to the router (whether wirelessly or via a USB port), open a browser and type in the URL, which by default is 192.168.1.1.
Going to the URL will take you to the router's settings page and from there you can access all the familiar router settings, including adding a password to access the router (recommended), changing the SSID and of course the router's security settings (essential).
Even users unfamiliar with router settings should be able to figure out at least the wireless security settings - I recommend at least WPA2 AES.
In use the hardware itself worked just fine, although I did at times have a problem where I could not connect to the WiFi network even though I hadn't reached the five-device limit.
In terms of 3G network coverage, it was surprisingly good within Kuala Lumpur city limits - I could get a connection most times and audio streaming worked without skipping about 70% of the time even while driving.
In my house in the Petaling Jaya area, signal wasn't all that good but I could still surf without a problem.
I also took a road trip to Singapore and had the chance to test DiGi coverage as I travelled on the bus to the south.
As expected, coverage on the highway was spotty at best - there were areas where I could surf for a good half and hour before the Internet connection dropped, while at other times I only managed to surf for a couple of minutes.
Streaming music was practically impossible on it as there wasn't a period where I could stream music without skipping for more than a couple of minutes.
Of course, this is quite an extreme test and not even my Maxis connection allowed me to stream audio without a break.
Battery life is pretty close to the claimed four hour limit. If you want more juice, you could connect the MiFi to a regular USB charger or your notebook's USB port and charge it while using it.
Oh yes while there is a five device limit, you can extend it to six devices when you connect the MiFi to a notebook via USB - in this case you need to install the software that is stored on the MiFi.
The MiFi device has some flash memory onboard which includes drivers for direct PC connections. Installing it and then connecting the MiFi will route the Internet connection through the USB port when your PC is connected to it, leaving the wireless free to accept up to five devices again.
Conclusion
Overall, the MiFi is a pretty cool device. I can see myself using it for the times when I need Internet access on the notebook or iPad and there aren't any wireless hotspots.
Unlike 3G USB dongles, the MiFi also has the advantage of being quite future proof and hardware agnostic.
Any device will work, as long as it has WiFi, which means you can connect say, a Sony PSP or even a Nintendo DSi to it to download games.
Pros: Works over WiFi; hardware agnostic.
Cons: Occasional hardware-related connection problems.
DiGi MiFi
(Huawei/DiGi)
3G WiFi pocket router
SPECIFICATIONS: HSUPA/HSDPA/UMTS 2100Mhz, EDGE, GSM, 802.11b/g
DIMENSIONS (W x D x H): 95 × 48 × 13mm
WEIGHT: 90g
PRICE: RM360; RM128 for 16GB monthly access plan
Review unit courtesy of DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd, 1-800-68-3333
http://techcentral.my/news/story.aspx?file=/2010/8/23/it_gadgets_reviews/20100823170911&sec=it_gadgets_reviews
By TAN KIT HOONG
intech@thestar.com.my
DiGi's MiFi gets your mobile devices connected to the Internet wherever the company has coverage.
THE nature of my job means that I probably spend more time on the road travelling than the average person. The problem is that even when we're travelling we're often required to work online.
There are a number of carriers offering some kind of wireless USB modem for 3G wireless access but the thing is that these dongles are very dependent on the operating system you use - you're pretty much up the creek without a paddle if you don't have a Windows PC or a Mac machine.
So what do you do? The answer is to get a pocket wireless router. This is where the DiGi MiFi comes in.
What you get
The DiGi MiFi isn't something new - similar products have been available in the United States for some time, but it is only now they are making an appearance in this country.
The hardware itself is actually a Huawei E5 pocket router and it's pretty small. In fact it's no bigger than a regular mobile phone and you can just as easily slip it into a pocket and forget about it.
The back opens up to reveal a SIM card slot and a fairly large battery which accounts for the claimed 4-hour battery life.
DiGi is offering the device for RM360 together with a monthly fee for 16GB Internet access on 3G but beyond the first month payment for the access there is no contract as such - the device is yours to keep and the data plan can be stopped after the first month.
Again, like all of the company's data plans, once you exceed the 16GB data limit you're not charged extra but instead get throttled down to 128Kbps speed from the typical data rate of 700Kbps that DiGi gives you.
Not too bad a deal as 128Kbps is still good enough for general surfing.
In use
Right out of the box, the MiFi is preconfigured with all the settings you need to get Internet access.
Ayou need to do is fire up your notebook/PDA/portable game console or another device, turn on WiFi and then connect to the MiFi like you would a normal WiFi access point.
Initial settings have no wireless security, but the router has all the normal security settings such as setting up a password for the wireless network.
In fact, I would strongly recommend that a user go into the settings and turn on WPA2 security or risk strangers hogging bandwidth when you're out and about.
This is even more important in the case of the MiFi because not only do you have a data cap, but the device itself can only accept five devices logged on at any one time.
You don't want to be locked out of your own wireless access just because a bunch of people at the cafe are connected on the MiFi.
This ability to connect multiple devices at once is also where the MiFi has it's greatest advantage - unlike the USB 3G dongles that most telcos sell, the MiFi is essentially hardware agnostic.
Basically any device which supports WiFi can connect to the MiFi without needing special drivers or even requiring a USB port for that matter.
Configuration
Anybody who has any experience setting up a wireless home router will find the MiFi settings page familiar.
Just connect to the router (whether wirelessly or via a USB port), open a browser and type in the URL, which by default is 192.168.1.1.
Going to the URL will take you to the router's settings page and from there you can access all the familiar router settings, including adding a password to access the router (recommended), changing the SSID and of course the router's security settings (essential).
Even users unfamiliar with router settings should be able to figure out at least the wireless security settings - I recommend at least WPA2 AES.
In use the hardware itself worked just fine, although I did at times have a problem where I could not connect to the WiFi network even though I hadn't reached the five-device limit.
In terms of 3G network coverage, it was surprisingly good within Kuala Lumpur city limits - I could get a connection most times and audio streaming worked without skipping about 70% of the time even while driving.
In my house in the Petaling Jaya area, signal wasn't all that good but I could still surf without a problem.
I also took a road trip to Singapore and had the chance to test DiGi coverage as I travelled on the bus to the south.
As expected, coverage on the highway was spotty at best - there were areas where I could surf for a good half and hour before the Internet connection dropped, while at other times I only managed to surf for a couple of minutes.
Streaming music was practically impossible on it as there wasn't a period where I could stream music without skipping for more than a couple of minutes.
Of course, this is quite an extreme test and not even my Maxis connection allowed me to stream audio without a break.
Battery life is pretty close to the claimed four hour limit. If you want more juice, you could connect the MiFi to a regular USB charger or your notebook's USB port and charge it while using it.
Oh yes while there is a five device limit, you can extend it to six devices when you connect the MiFi to a notebook via USB - in this case you need to install the software that is stored on the MiFi.
The MiFi device has some flash memory onboard which includes drivers for direct PC connections. Installing it and then connecting the MiFi will route the Internet connection through the USB port when your PC is connected to it, leaving the wireless free to accept up to five devices again.
Conclusion
Overall, the MiFi is a pretty cool device. I can see myself using it for the times when I need Internet access on the notebook or iPad and there aren't any wireless hotspots.
Unlike 3G USB dongles, the MiFi also has the advantage of being quite future proof and hardware agnostic.
Any device will work, as long as it has WiFi, which means you can connect say, a Sony PSP or even a Nintendo DSi to it to download games.
Pros: Works over WiFi; hardware agnostic.
Cons: Occasional hardware-related connection problems.
DiGi MiFi
(Huawei/DiGi)
3G WiFi pocket router
SPECIFICATIONS: HSUPA/HSDPA/UMTS 2100Mhz, EDGE, GSM, 802.11b/g
DIMENSIONS (W x D x H): 95 × 48 × 13mm
WEIGHT: 90g
PRICE: RM360; RM128 for 16GB monthly access plan
Review unit courtesy of DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd, 1-800-68-3333
http://techcentral.my/news/story.aspx?file=/2010/8/23/it_gadgets_reviews/20100823170911&sec=it_gadgets_reviews
Friday, September 17, 2010
Cellular/wireless companies in M'sia don't have to pay billions others pay, yet service is bad
Friday September 17, 2010
THE cellular/wireless players in this country are a lucky lot.
They don’t have to pay billions of dollars for a spectrum which their counterparts globally do. What they do is ride on the spectrum and earn huge margins. Their margins are among the highest in Asia if not the world.
The next wave of spectrum awards will be happening soon. This time it is for long-term evolution (LTE). This is said to be the fourth generation of cellular technology or 4G.
Bet your last dollar that there will be no bidding process, no hefty payment for the spectrum, only a token sum and nine local companies are likely to get bite-sized of 20Mhz each of the 2.5G/2.6G piece of this prized commodity.
Kudos to them, yet many have all the excuses for bad quality of service.
In the cellular world thus far, there are four defined generations of cellular technology. 1G was all analog, 2G was digital but speeds ware slow and data limited.
That’s when we first got the taste of SMS. Then came the 2.5G which gave slightly higher data capacity and speed.
The much-hyped 3G allowed for downstream rate of 2 megabits per second and more.
Voice was the killer application for the first few generations of cellular networks.
But data traffic has overtaken voice traffic and this trend is only going to accelerate, growing exponentially with widespread adoption of wireless broadband networks and smart devices.
4G is about higher speed and bigger capacity. The requirement for 4G is said to be peak data rate of 100Mbps for high-mobility applications such as mobile access.
About 1Gbps is required for low mobility applications such as nomadic/local wireless access and all should be Internet protocol-based solutions.
That means that the new 4G networks will allow users to stream mobile multimedia, such as TV broadcasts and online games, with speeds of up to 10 times higher than today’s third-generation, or 3G, networks.
This time around the government wants to be fair to all wireless and cellular players by dishing out spectrum to nine players, comprising four WiMAX and four cellular players and a new entrant, a company linked to billionaire Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukary.
With the 4G spectrum the players should have no reason to complain of being left out of the next generation of technologies.
Getting the spectrum is one thing, but putting it to good use is another.
In the past spectrum had been awarded in many ways with political patronage not excluded. Some players lobbied intensely for the spectrum only to sell it off for a handsome gain, while others had to be rescued. There are some that hoard and a few had been deprived of the spectrum, but there are also others that have helped changed the landscape of mobile broadband in the country.
It is good that the government is giving many more players a chance to have the 4G spectrum and it may not impose a huge fee so that players will not pass the spectrum cost to the users.
The idea is to make it easy for the players to roll out services so that they can serve the rakyat better and, hopefully, the players will not forget that in their quest to earn higher margins.
Deputy news editor B.K. Sidhu wishes all Malaysians a belated Happy 1Malaysia Day.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/9/17/business/7046601&sec=business
They don’t have to pay billions of dollars for a spectrum which their counterparts globally do. What they do is ride on the spectrum and earn huge margins. Their margins are among the highest in Asia if not the world.
The next wave of spectrum awards will be happening soon. This time it is for long-term evolution (LTE). This is said to be the fourth generation of cellular technology or 4G.
Bet your last dollar that there will be no bidding process, no hefty payment for the spectrum, only a token sum and nine local companies are likely to get bite-sized of 20Mhz each of the 2.5G/2.6G piece of this prized commodity.
Kudos to them, yet many have all the excuses for bad quality of service.
In the cellular world thus far, there are four defined generations of cellular technology. 1G was all analog, 2G was digital but speeds ware slow and data limited.
That’s when we first got the taste of SMS. Then came the 2.5G which gave slightly higher data capacity and speed.
The much-hyped 3G allowed for downstream rate of 2 megabits per second and more.
Voice was the killer application for the first few generations of cellular networks.
But data traffic has overtaken voice traffic and this trend is only going to accelerate, growing exponentially with widespread adoption of wireless broadband networks and smart devices.
4G is about higher speed and bigger capacity. The requirement for 4G is said to be peak data rate of 100Mbps for high-mobility applications such as mobile access.
About 1Gbps is required for low mobility applications such as nomadic/local wireless access and all should be Internet protocol-based solutions.
That means that the new 4G networks will allow users to stream mobile multimedia, such as TV broadcasts and online games, with speeds of up to 10 times higher than today’s third-generation, or 3G, networks.
This time around the government wants to be fair to all wireless and cellular players by dishing out spectrum to nine players, comprising four WiMAX and four cellular players and a new entrant, a company linked to billionaire Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukary.
With the 4G spectrum the players should have no reason to complain of being left out of the next generation of technologies.
Getting the spectrum is one thing, but putting it to good use is another.
In the past spectrum had been awarded in many ways with political patronage not excluded. Some players lobbied intensely for the spectrum only to sell it off for a handsome gain, while others had to be rescued. There are some that hoard and a few had been deprived of the spectrum, but there are also others that have helped changed the landscape of mobile broadband in the country.
It is good that the government is giving many more players a chance to have the 4G spectrum and it may not impose a huge fee so that players will not pass the spectrum cost to the users.
The idea is to make it easy for the players to roll out services so that they can serve the rakyat better and, hopefully, the players will not forget that in their quest to earn higher margins.
Monday, September 13, 2010
TDC to wire up KLCC It targets to connect 300 buildings in city centre by year-end
Tuesday September 14, 2010
By B.K. SIDHU
bksidhu@thestar.com.my
SHAH ALAM: After wiring up several blocks of buildings in Kuala Lumpur’s Mont Kiara, Time dotCom Bhd (TDC) now wants to connect 300 buildings in the KL City Centre area before the year is out.
“We are looking to add 1,000 buildings by the end of next year,” said TDC chief executive officer Afzal Abdul Rahim.
With an additional 300 buildings to the 90 at Mont Kiara, TDC would provide hundreds of residential and commercial units access to fibre optic with transmission speeds of 1 megabit per second (Mbps) to 50Mbps. TDC’s network is capable of boosting speed to 100Mbps with no additional capital expenditure (capex) required.
Afzal Abdul Rahim...`The challenge forward is growth.’ “One of the biggest hurdles we face in our network expansion is dealing with the local councils. Things can slow down for us if the approvals are not in place for us to dig and lay fibre (optic) in the ground,” Afzal said.
TDC is one of two major players with a fibre optic network in the country, the other being the incumbent Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM). Other players such as Maxis Communications Bhd, Jalenas Sdn Bhd and newcomer Vasseti Bhd are also hoping to take a bite of the fibre optic business but they are still building their networks.
Afzal came on board TDC in late 2008 and the turnaround he embarked on at the company is now complete.
TDC recently reported its fifth quarter of profits, earning RM22.98mil in net profit for the second quarter ended June 30 as revenue improved 22.5% to RM83.17mil from RM67.89mil a year earlier.
Cash balances stood at RM199mil as at June 30.
“We have shifted from being a loss-making company to a sustainable one that has reported five consecutive quarters of profit. The challenge forward is growth.
“We cannot be slipping into the red. We are doing far better than in the past. A decade ago, our annual revenue was RM6mil, now it is RM300mil and we are looking at RM1bil in the future,” said Afzal.
He expects TDC’s third quarter financial results to be better than the second quarter as the expansion continues.
According to an analyst, TDC is likely to benefit from the recent reduction in interconnect rates in Malaysia.
“It is small but making an impact in the market. TM’s revenue could be vulnerable to rivalry from TDC and this could increase as TDC expands its network and fine-tunes its strategy.
“The mobile operators should benefit from TDC’s expansion as competition in wholesale leased lines should lower their network costs and allow better geographical coverage,” the analyst said in a report.
In terms of market share. Afzal said TDC had gained ground in all the areas that its services were available even though it was on a head-on battle with the incumbent.
“We are adding market share at about one percentage point every month in these areas and that gives us about 18% market share now. We would like to capture between 20% and 25% market share,” Afzal said. TDC spent RM120mil in capex last year and has the same capex this year which it plans to fund internally.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/9/14/business/7029081&sec=business
Monday, September 6, 2010
U Mobile offers attractive broadband plans
Published: 2010/09/06
U Mobile Sdn Bhd is offering a special promotion, only in Klang Valley, for U Broadband plans that start from as low as RM20 per month.
In a statement today, U Mobile said during the promotional period, starting today till Oct 31, 2010, all new sign-ups for UB40 and UB68 plans would be offered a RM20 rebate for the first five months.
"The subscribers will only be required to pay RM20 per month for UB40 and RM48 for UB68.
"The subscribers will also be given a free modem and there will be no contract attached. This will give them a freedom of choice without being tied down to long contract," it said.
| |
Its chief executive officer, Dr Kaizad Heerjee, said the promotion was in line with the government's plan under the National Broadband Initiative to achieve 50 per cent household broadband penetration by year-end.
"We believe our broadband package is attractive to the consumers and will eventually help boost the broadband take-up rate," he said. -- Bernama
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20100906160651/Article/index_html
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Axiata rings up RM576.8m net profit in 2nd quarter
By Jeeva Arulampalam
Published: 2010/08/26
The mobile phone group plans to pay dividends of at least 30 per cent of its net profit starting next year and the ratio is due to rise over time.
Axiata Group Bhd (6888), a mobile phone group, posted a net profit growth of 9.5 per cent to RM576.82 million for its second quarter due to stronger growth in its operating companies locally and abroad.
The group also plans to pay dividends of at least 30 per cent of its net profit starting next year and the ratio is due to rise over time.
This will depend on its cashflow and be determined by business prospects and capital requirements.
Axiata president and group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Jamaludin Ibrahim said yesterday that he expects revenue growth for the second half of the year to be slower due to tougher competition.
The group has a controlling interests in mobile operators in Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Cambodia.
Jamaludin told reporters during the company's half-year results briefing yesterday in Kuala Lumpur that Axiata was on track to meet its full-year revenue growth target of 12.1 per cent.
The group also hopes to achieve growth in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of 14.1 per cent and return on invested capital (ROIC) of 10.7 per cent.
For the three-month period to June 30 2010, the group's revenue was up 20 per cent to RM3.85 billion.
EBITDA grew by 38 per cent for the period to RM1.8 billion due to strategic cost initiative programmes implemented last year while EBITDA margin improved 6.3 percentage points to 47 per cent from a year ago.
Its local unit, Celcom Axiata Bhd, saw revenue grow 11 per cent to RM1.7 billion for the three-month period from a year ago as non-voice services went up and mobile broadband surpassed 700,000 customers, contributing 9 per cent to its revenue.
Axiata (Bangladesh) Ltd and Indonesian PT XL Axiata Tbk (XL) saw their revenues rising 37 per cent and 29 per cent, respectively, for the quarter.
For the first half of the year, Axiata's net profit tripled to RM1.5 billion due to better contributions from its mobile operating units and a one-off gain on disposal of XL shares.
Revenue for the six-month period ended June 30 2010 was up 25 per cent to RM7.67 billion.
EBITDA went up 45 per cent in the same period to RM3.5 billion while EBITDA margin improved 6.1 percentage points to 45.5 per cent.
Meanwhile, Jamaludin shot down earlier reports that Axiata was looking to bid for a third-generation mobile licence in Thailand with Thai telecommunications group Samart Corp plc.
A Reuters report last week quoted Samart Corp's chief as saying that Samart and Axiata, through their unit, Samart i-Mobile (SIM), will join the bid.
While Jamaludin acknowledged that Samart was an Axiata affiliate with it owning 19 per cent of the former's shares and 24 per cent of SIM, he said the news that Axiata was joining the bid was untrue.
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/jaxiat-2/Article/
Published: 2010/08/26
The mobile phone group plans to pay dividends of at least 30 per cent of its net profit starting next year and the ratio is due to rise over time.
Axiata Group Bhd (6888), a mobile phone group, posted a net profit growth of 9.5 per cent to RM576.82 million for its second quarter due to stronger growth in its operating companies locally and abroad.
The group also plans to pay dividends of at least 30 per cent of its net profit starting next year and the ratio is due to rise over time.
This will depend on its cashflow and be determined by business prospects and capital requirements.
Axiata president and group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Jamaludin Ibrahim said yesterday that he expects revenue growth for the second half of the year to be slower due to tougher competition.
The group has a controlling interests in mobile operators in Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Cambodia.
Jamaludin told reporters during the company's half-year results briefing yesterday in Kuala Lumpur that Axiata was on track to meet its full-year revenue growth target of 12.1 per cent.
The group also hopes to achieve growth in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of 14.1 per cent and return on invested capital (ROIC) of 10.7 per cent.
For the three-month period to June 30 2010, the group's revenue was up 20 per cent to RM3.85 billion.
EBITDA grew by 38 per cent for the period to RM1.8 billion due to strategic cost initiative programmes implemented last year while EBITDA margin improved 6.3 percentage points to 47 per cent from a year ago.
Its local unit, Celcom Axiata Bhd, saw revenue grow 11 per cent to RM1.7 billion for the three-month period from a year ago as non-voice services went up and mobile broadband surpassed 700,000 customers, contributing 9 per cent to its revenue.
Axiata (Bangladesh) Ltd and Indonesian PT XL Axiata Tbk (XL) saw their revenues rising 37 per cent and 29 per cent, respectively, for the quarter.
For the first half of the year, Axiata's net profit tripled to RM1.5 billion due to better contributions from its mobile operating units and a one-off gain on disposal of XL shares.
Revenue for the six-month period ended June 30 2010 was up 25 per cent to RM7.67 billion.
EBITDA went up 45 per cent in the same period to RM3.5 billion while EBITDA margin improved 6.1 percentage points to 45.5 per cent.
Meanwhile, Jamaludin shot down earlier reports that Axiata was looking to bid for a third-generation mobile licence in Thailand with Thai telecommunications group Samart Corp plc.
A Reuters report last week quoted Samart Corp's chief as saying that Samart and Axiata, through their unit, Samart i-Mobile (SIM), will join the bid.
While Jamaludin acknowledged that Samart was an Axiata affiliate with it owning 19 per cent of the former's shares and 24 per cent of SIM, he said the news that Axiata was joining the bid was untrue.
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/jaxiat-2/Article/
Maxis Q2 profit hits RM532m
By Goh Thean Eu
Published: 2010/08/31
The quarterly net profit fell 10 per cent, mainly because of a one-off spending in its Fifa 2010 World Cup campaign and handset subsidies.
Maxis Bhd (6012), the country's largest mobile operator, registered a 10 per cent decline in its second quarter net profit, due mainly to a one-off spending in its Fifa 2010 World Cup campaign and handset subsidies.
It also announced a second interim dividend of 8 sen a share, or RM600 million in total, which is more than the company's net profit in the second quarter.
Maxis, controlled by tycoon T. Ananda Krishnan, posted a net profit of RM532 million for the quarter ended June 30 2010, against RM594 million in same quarter last year.
During the quarter, its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) margin fell to 46.9 per cent, from 50.6 per cent in the entire 2009.
However, chief executive officer Sandip Das was not worried as he said the steep decline in the margin was mainly driven by its World Cup sponsorship, which was a one-off event. Moving forward, he expects an uptake in the company's operating margin.
"Overall, I am very happy with the results. We posted a strong, all-rounder performance," said Sandip in a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Maxis' quarterly revenue rose by more than 3 per cent to RM2.19 billion, from RM2.12 billion in the same period last year, due largely to its larger customer base in both voice and broadband segments.
For the quarter, the company added 280,000 new customers, against Celcom (Axiata) Bhd's and DiGi.Com Bhd's net additions of 215,000 and 157,000 respectively.
Although the company is still in second place in terms of mobile operators' overall broadband market share, Sandip remains confident that the broadband momentum is going strong and it is just a matter of time before it overtakes Celcom in the segment.
During the quarter, Maxis signed up 135,000 new mobile broadband customers to reach 448,000 customers. During the period, Celcom signed up just 72,000 mobile broadband customers to 707,000.
"We have a 53 per cent share of the broadband net adds share (among the top three mobile operators) during the quarter. It further signifies that our efforts in modernising the network and marketing are showing results," said Sandip.
The company also added that its mobile broadband growth story is on track and believes that by end-2012, half of its revenue will come from non-voice services.
Maxis' average revenue per user (Arpu), has remained stable. Its prepaid Arpu declined by about 2 per cent to RM36, while postpaid Arpu increased by 1 per cent to RM103.
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/maxisq210/Article/index_html
Published: 2010/08/31
The quarterly net profit fell 10 per cent, mainly because of a one-off spending in its Fifa 2010 World Cup campaign and handset subsidies.
Maxis Bhd (6012), the country's largest mobile operator, registered a 10 per cent decline in its second quarter net profit, due mainly to a one-off spending in its Fifa 2010 World Cup campaign and handset subsidies.
It also announced a second interim dividend of 8 sen a share, or RM600 million in total, which is more than the company's net profit in the second quarter.
Maxis, controlled by tycoon T. Ananda Krishnan, posted a net profit of RM532 million for the quarter ended June 30 2010, against RM594 million in same quarter last year.
During the quarter, its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) margin fell to 46.9 per cent, from 50.6 per cent in the entire 2009.
However, chief executive officer Sandip Das was not worried as he said the steep decline in the margin was mainly driven by its World Cup sponsorship, which was a one-off event. Moving forward, he expects an uptake in the company's operating margin.
"Overall, I am very happy with the results. We posted a strong, all-rounder performance," said Sandip in a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Maxis' quarterly revenue rose by more than 3 per cent to RM2.19 billion, from RM2.12 billion in the same period last year, due largely to its larger customer base in both voice and broadband segments.
For the quarter, the company added 280,000 new customers, against Celcom (Axiata) Bhd's and DiGi.Com Bhd's net additions of 215,000 and 157,000 respectively.
Although the company is still in second place in terms of mobile operators' overall broadband market share, Sandip remains confident that the broadband momentum is going strong and it is just a matter of time before it overtakes Celcom in the segment.
During the quarter, Maxis signed up 135,000 new mobile broadband customers to reach 448,000 customers. During the period, Celcom signed up just 72,000 mobile broadband customers to 707,000.
"We have a 53 per cent share of the broadband net adds share (among the top three mobile operators) during the quarter. It further signifies that our efforts in modernising the network and marketing are showing results," said Sandip.
The company also added that its mobile broadband growth story is on track and believes that by end-2012, half of its revenue will come from non-voice services.
Maxis' average revenue per user (Arpu), has remained stable. Its prepaid Arpu declined by about 2 per cent to RM36, while postpaid Arpu increased by 1 per cent to RM103.
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/maxisq210/Article/index_html
Apple TV dilancar
PERKAKASAN baru Apple TV yang lebih kecil dipamerkan pada sidang akhbar di San Francisco, kelmarin. – AP
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SAN FRANCISCO 2 Sept. – Apple Inc. melancarkan versi Apple TV yang lebih kecil dan lebih murah bagi menyalurkan kandungan dari Internet ke peti televisyen, sekali gus memperhebatkan persaingan dengan Google Inc. dan Microsoft Corp. untuk menguasai segmen hiburan digital di rumah.
Pengasas bersama Apple, Steve Jobs juga melancarkan barisan produk iPod yang dirombak sepenuhnya serta versi terbaru iTune, dengan logo baru yang tidak lagi menggunakan imej CD yang ketinggalan zaman.
Peranti baru Apple TV tersebut, yang digunakan untuk mengakses kandungan dari Internet dan memainkannya pada set televisyen, akan dijual dengan harga AS$99 (RM317). Ia hanya 25 peratus daripada saiz Apple TV asal yang berharga AS$229 (RM733).
Peranti berukuran 10 sentimeter persegi itu membolehkan pengguna menyewa rancangan televisyen dengan hanya AS$0.99 (RM3.17) dan filem dalam jadual tayangan pertama dengan harga AS$4.99 (RM16). Model asal yang membolehkan pengguna membeli rancangan televisyen sahaja tidak mendapat sambutan.
“Pengguna memang takut menyambung sesuatu pada set televisyen mereka, kerana itu pasaran kita akan menjadi sangat terhad melainkan kita dapat menjelaskan mengapa mereka perlu berbuat demikian dan kita memudahkan mereka untuk berbuat demikian,” kata pengarah penyelidikan bagi peranti pengguna di Current Analysis, Avi Greengart.
Perubahan terbesar pada iTunes ialah pengenalan ciri rangkaian sosial yang dikenali sebagai Ping yang membolehkan pengguna mengesyorkan lagu kepada peminat atau rangkaian rakan pilihan mereka.
“Ciri ini umpama Facebook dan Twitter bertemu dengan iTunes. Ia merupakan rangkaian sosial mengenai muzik semata-mata,” kata Jobs pada majlis untuk melancarkan produk-produk tersebut semalam.
Namun bagi wartawan dan pelabur, produk utama pada pelancaran semalam ialah Apple TV yang diperkenalkan oleh Apple pada 2006 tetapi tidak mendapat sambutan yang diharapkan.
Jobs pernah menyebut Apple TV sebagai satu hobi, tetapi menjelaskan syarikat itu kini bersedia untuk bersungguh-sungguh memberi fokus kepada usaha menggabungkan Internet dengan televisyen.
Gabungan itu turut menjadi tumpuan beberapa syarikat teknologi paling kreatif dan paling kukuh di dunia, termasuk Google, Microsoft dan Amazon.com. Inc. – Reuters
http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=0903&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Luar_Negara&pg=lu_06.htm
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