TM says UniFi customers to double by year-end

Tuesday August 17, 2010




By ZAZALI MUSA

zaza@thestar.com.my





JOHOR BARU: Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) expects the number of its UniFi customers nationwide to double or treble by the year-end.



Chief strategy officer Ahmad Azhar Yahya said since the three UniFi packages were launched on March 24, TM had signed up over 10,000 subscribers.



“We are seeing a steep increase in the number of new customers signing for the service daily and the trend is expected to continue,” he said on Saturday after the signing of an agreement between TM and Mudra Tropika Sdn Bhd, the developer of the RM330mil Nong Chik Heights here.



TM was represented by its executive vice president (SME) Shanti Jusnita Johari and Mudra Tropika by chairman Datuk Mohd Rashid Mohd Noor. The signing was witnessed by Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman.





Datuk Mohd Rashidi Mohd Noor (left) exchanging signed documents with Shanti Jusnita Johari while Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman (centre) and TM chief strategy officer Ahmad Azhar Yahaya look on.



Under the agreement, both parties would bear the cost of putting up fibre optics offering high-speed broadband (HSBB UniFi) infrastructure and services to house owners in the 14ha housing scheme.



Nong Chik Heights is a 50:50 joint-venture project between the Johor Government’s State Secretary Inc, which owns the Malay reserve land, and Mudra Tropika.



“We are going to sign (similar agreements) with 19 more developers in Johor Baru this and next year to equip their housing projects with the HSSB (service),” said Ahmad.



He said the other 19 projects were also in greenfield areas where it would be easier to lay the HSSB infrastructure instead on brownfield areas or places that were already developed.



Ahmad said about 150,000 premises within Iskandar Malaysia would have access to HSSB UniFi within the next two years.



He said the company would continue to evaluate the needs and demand from time to time for the HSSB service for areas in Johor outside Iskandar.



Ahmad said this could include Teluk Ramunia and Pengerang areas in Johor’s South East which had been earmarked to become the region’s new oil and gas hub spanning over 5,000ha.

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/8/17/business/6866482&sec=business