HSBT to seek licence for alternative high speed network

Despite the award of the government contract for the nation’s high speed broadband project to Telekom Malaysia™ at the beginning of September, alternative provider High Speed Broadband Technology (HSBT) will continue to seek a licence to build an alternative high speed network, Malaysian news source The Edge is reporting. HSBT, backed by the Pahang state government, is reportedly still in the process of preparing a detailed proposal for the Cabinet Committee for Broadband, but will first present its offerings to potential customers on 11 September. HSBT technical and corporate strategy director Shukor said, ‘We are making final preparations to submit (the detailed proposal) soon.’ HSBT has also claimed that it would be able to roll out its own network within three to six months after a licence was awarded, and the operator’s proposal estimates costs of MYR18 billion (USD5.22 billion). The move comes amidst increasing dissent following the announcement of TM’s contract win, with other providers calling for an independent third party to build the high speed broadband network to ensure fair competition. So far, three alternative proposals have been made for the project.