NBI A Major Boost To Economy, Say ICT Industry Players

KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 (Bernama) -- The National Broadband Initiative (NBI) will be a key driver of growth in the new economy and the availability of information communication technology such as broadband will become major contributor to the economy, said Dr. Yeah Kim Leng, Group Chief Economist of RAM Holdings Bhd.

He pointed out that countries like United Kingdom and Australia have already invested in such initiatives.

Malaysia is an early adaptor of such an initiative to ensure its economic growth in terms of competitiveness and innovation in the knowledge-based economy, he told Bernama, here on Wednesday.

The NBI was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak tonight.

Yeah said while the High Speed Broadband (HSBB) initiative under the NBI is being introduced in four areas namely Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Shah Alam, Subang Jaya and Bangsar due to their high population of industries and businesses, eventually, there is a need to roll it out nationwide.

"Once we have the basic infrastructure, there is a need for content in order to provide better services and good content," he added.

Yeah said the initiative will also provide vast business and job opportunities.

He also said content providers can leverage on the facility and upgrade their services while consumers will gain from the high bandwidth services such as Internet Protocol TV (IPTV).

Meanwhile, Symantec said with the launch of the HSBB service today by Telekom Malaysia through its partnership with the Government, broadband adoption in Malaysia is expected to accelerate.

This will potentially allow better collaboration among businesses locally and globally, as well as improve productivity and overall quality of service on the Internet, it said in a statement here.

Symantec also said that it was looking forward to the coming phases of Telekom Malaysia's HSBB deployment which will reach many communities in Malaysia as its coverage expands.

This will definitely increase the interest in ICT among Malaysians such as using technology in their daily life and at work, while providing greater access to the world wide web of knowledge, it added.

However, it said that while HSBB brought many benefits, the increasing broadband adoption globally has also raised malicious cyberspace activities, resulting in higher risks of cyber threats to users.

Malicious activities usually affect computers with broadband connectivity as they are equipped with large bandwidth capacities, more stable connections, fast transfer speeds, and are connected 24/7.

These are attractive to cyber attackers because of their increased ability and capacity to mount attacks, it said.

In view of this, it urged users to stay safe online and adopt best practices to ensure their personal information is secure, while enjoying the new experiences on HSBB.

NetApp Malaysia meanwhile has applauded the Malaysian government for the National Broadband Initiative.

It is a timely announcement that bodes well for the nation's aspiration towards an innovative and high-income economy, said Mano Govindaraju, Country Manager, NetApp Malaysia.

He said The NBI that comprises the rollout of HSBB and broadband to the general population (BBGP) will not only serve to bridge the digital divide and improve the lives of many, but also aid small medium enterprises (SMEs) and enterprises to be more competitive in an increasingly globalised marketplace.

The introduction of the NBI will open new doors and markets for SMEs who have yet to fully embrace ICT, he said.

The promise of an increase in bandwidth and greater broadband availability will propel cloud computing service providers to deliver a wide range of IT services via the cloud to SMEs and enterprises nationwide, he said.

Axis Communications also commended the launch of NBI in a statement released here.

"Axis looks forward to the roll-out of Telekom Malaysia's HSBB nationwide network as we believe this will result in more efficient monitoring through digital network video surveillance, especially with the government's efforts to address rising crime rates and public safety issues," said Nafis Jasmani, Country Manager, Axis Communications, Malaysia.

The implementation of HSBB will drive the continued technology shift from analogue to network surveillance video as more new standards and technologies like H.264 video compression, HDTV image quality and smart video surveillance features become in demand, he said.

The deployment of HSBB will provide platforms for advanced applications, mobile wireless broadband and network services, such as wide-area wireless video calls and broadband wireless data.

Data and mobile broadband services under the NBI will not only benefit Malaysia and its economy, but also give rise to efficient monitoring through digital network video surveillance, he said.

He said whether network cameras or analogue cameras connected to video encoders, or an installation that employs both camera types, IP surveillance is proving to be attractive in most vertical markets Axis is strong in such as banking, retail, education, healthcare, industrial, transportations and the public sector.

By Premalatha Jayaraman

-- BERNAMA