Technology October 4, 2007, 9:46AM EST
Malaysia to Get High Speed Broadband
According to Business Week, The Malaysia government will fund 30% of the proposed multibillion project, which will be built by Telekom Malaysia
by Lee Min Keong
Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak last week unveiled plans to embark on an ambitious initiative to roll out high-speed broadband services across the country. The government official also revealed that incumbent fixed-line carrier Telekom Malaysia (TM) has been awarded the mega broadband project.
Targeted to cover 2.2 million premises, the project is estimated to cost 15.2 billion ringgit (US$4.46 billion) over 10 years, Najib was quoted to say in local news reports.
"We have asked the Finance Ministry to verify the figure, which includes the cost of 'last-mile' fiber, core network and [improvements to] international connectivity," Najib told local reporters.
State-owned TM has been directed to start initial work on the project, though deployment of the physical infrastructure is likely to come only six months after the partnership agreement has been signed. The government is targeting to ink the agreement as soon as possible, Najib said.
The country's deputy premier explained that the Cabinet Committee on Broadband, which he heads, chose to partner TM because the telco already owns an existing infrastructure. This, he said, would allow additional investment to be done on a lower cost basis and at a faster speed.
"We want the [new high-speed broadband] service to be rolled out quickly and in a cost-efficient manner, so that Malaysia would not be left behind in terms of competitive edge," he added.
Najib left open the possibility for other telcos to get a dip in the project, though he noted that the role of these industry players would only be determined later.
STUDYING THE COSTAccording to local reports, the government had commissioned consultant firm McKinsey & Co. to conduct a feasibility study, which estimated that an investment of 15 billion ringgit (US$4.4 billion) would be required to lay fiber-optic lines to every home in Malaysia's major urban areas. To reach every home in the country, this investment will need to increase to 53 billion ringgit (US$15.55 billion).
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2007/gb2007104_831833.htm
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Saturday, October 06, 2007
British adventurer ends 13-year human-powered world trip
Sat Oct 6, 1:40 PM ET
LONDON (AFP) - British adventurer Jason Lewis on Saturday arrived in Greenwich, south-east London, ending a 13-year round-the-world trip using only the power of the human body.
The 40-year-old completed the final leg of his 46,000-mile (74,000-kilometre) odyssey by pedalling his 26-foot (7.9-metre) boat Moksha up the River Thames.
The last effort into London followed a 3,000-kilometre bike ride from Turkey through Bulgaria, Romania, Austria and Germany to Oostend in Belgium, where the boat was waiting for him.
During his circumnavigation, he capsized in the North Atlantic Ocean, broke both legs, was chased by a crocodile in Australia and arrested on suspicion of spying in Egypt and threatened with a 40-year prison sentence.
Bearded and looking tired, a clearly emotional Lewis crossed the Greenwich Meridian line at the Royal Observatory by carrying his boat with the help of supporters and cheering well-wishers.
Lewis set off from the same spot -- zero degrees longitude -- bound for Portugal in July 1994. The 16-leg journey also included hiking, kayaking and hiking.
"It feels fantastic. I came over the line and I was choked. I blubbed (cried) like a baby," he told reporters.
"Everything I've been doing for the last 13 years has been in some way connected to this trip and tomorrow that will be no more."
Among the welcoming party was Queen Elizabeth II's cousin, the Duke of Gloucester, who is patron to the Expedition 360 adventure and who named Moksha in 1993. The name means "liberation" in Sanskrit.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071006/lf_afp/lifestylebritaintraveladventurepeople_071006174058
LONDON (AFP) - British adventurer Jason Lewis on Saturday arrived in Greenwich, south-east London, ending a 13-year round-the-world trip using only the power of the human body.
The 40-year-old completed the final leg of his 46,000-mile (74,000-kilometre) odyssey by pedalling his 26-foot (7.9-metre) boat Moksha up the River Thames.
The last effort into London followed a 3,000-kilometre bike ride from Turkey through Bulgaria, Romania, Austria and Germany to Oostend in Belgium, where the boat was waiting for him.
During his circumnavigation, he capsized in the North Atlantic Ocean, broke both legs, was chased by a crocodile in Australia and arrested on suspicion of spying in Egypt and threatened with a 40-year prison sentence.
Bearded and looking tired, a clearly emotional Lewis crossed the Greenwich Meridian line at the Royal Observatory by carrying his boat with the help of supporters and cheering well-wishers.
Lewis set off from the same spot -- zero degrees longitude -- bound for Portugal in July 1994. The 16-leg journey also included hiking, kayaking and hiking.
"It feels fantastic. I came over the line and I was choked. I blubbed (cried) like a baby," he told reporters.
"Everything I've been doing for the last 13 years has been in some way connected to this trip and tomorrow that will be no more."
Among the welcoming party was Queen Elizabeth II's cousin, the Duke of Gloucester, who is patron to the Expedition 360 adventure and who named Moksha in 1993. The name means "liberation" in Sanskrit.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071006/lf_afp/lifestylebritaintraveladventurepeople_071006174058
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)