Telekom Malaysia™ has launched its High Speed Broadband (HSBB) network commercially, offering services under the UniFi banner, the Star Online reports. The telco’s new triple-play bundles will include fixed line voice, high speed internet at downlink rates of up to 20Mbps, and IPTV, and initially the new product range will be available in the four exchange areas of Shah Alam, Subang Jaya, Taman Tun Dr Ismail and Bangsar. Commenting on the introduction of the new packages, Datuk Dr Halim Shafie, TM’s chairman, said: ‘Now that UniFi has arrived, we anticipate it will be a digital lifestyle changer as well as enabler for the vast majority of our subscribers. I’m truly excited at this next phase of growth for TM where we are aiming to take our services to the next level.’
According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms the MYR11.3 billion (USD3.39 billion) HSBB contract was officially awarded by the government to TM in August 2008, and signed the following month; under the terms of the deal TM is investing MYR8.9 billion in the network rollout, while the state has put up MYR2.4 billion.
At launch of the services TM’s chairman also reiterated that the expansion of the HSBB coverage would continue apace, and the telco said that it expects to have another 22 exchange areas online by June 2010, with a further 22 able to offer HSBB services by the end of the year. Approximately 311,000 premises are currently passed by the network, ahead of the target of 300,000 for end-March 2010, and by end-2010 this number is expected to more than double to 750,000. Further, by end-2012 TM is aiming to have some 1.3 million households able to sign up for HSBB packages.