Press Release: Asia Netcom and Telekom Malaysia collaborate to expand coverage in Middle East and Southeast Asia - Electronics Design, Strategy, News

Asia Netcom and Telekom Malaysia collaborate to expand coverage in Middle East and Southeast Asia

Asia Netcom

(Business News, 27/12/2007)

Asia Netcom and Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) recently signed a partnership agreement for Network-to-Network Interconnection (NNI), which will further expand both companies' coverage into key growth markets in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, while improving communication efficiencies for their customers. Under the scope of the NNI agreement, both companies will interconnect their respective telecommunications networks to expand direct peering connections in major cities, by utilizing each other's Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network (IP VPN) capabilities to provide advanced IP solutions to key business customers in the region. Dato' Zam Isa, CEO, Malaysia Business, TM said, 'This interconnection agreement will strengthen our business relationship with Asia Netcom as well as increase our service coverage. By leveraging on Asia Netcom's EAC-C2C network, our customers can enjoy improved connectivity services and route diversity to the most populous regions in the Asia Pacific. In return, Asia Netcom will leverage on TM's global presence specifically in the Middle East and throughout Southeast Asia to further enhance their presence in the region.' According to Bill Barney, CEO, Asia Netcom, 'As we continue to expand our footprint into Southeast Asia, we are pleased to team up with TM in delivering seamless connectivity to our customers. In addition, we will be able to leverage on enhanced connectivity into the Middle East region to further explore new business opportunities there.' Asia Netcom is one of the pioneers of MPLS technology in Asia with a regional MPLS-TE (traffic-engineered) infrastructure. The company was also the first to introduce the IP VPN service with 5 Class-of-Service, usage-based pricing and was responsible for bringing M-Flex to the market, which is the industry's first pay-as-you-go IP VPN offering, with access up to 10 Mbps. Asia Netcom's IP VPN service extends to all key markets in Asia Pacific, United States of America (US) and Europe. Its service is available at speeds from 64kbps to 1Gbps. Asia Netcom's regional IP backbone consists of over 70Gbps of intra-Asia and trans-Pacific capacity. TM is taking a significant leap forward to expand its position and footprint as one of the leading regional service providers. With international subsidiaries in nine countries and Regional Offices in United Kingdom, US, Hong Kong and Singapore, TM has established its presence in most of the countries with high growth potential. TM will continue on its expansion course either independently or through strategic partnerships, by doing so, TM will be in a more viable position to offer end-to-end solutions to meet its customers' ever changing needs. About Asia Netcom Winner of Telecom Asia's 'Best Wholesale Carrier' award in 2007, Asia Netcom operates an extensive telecommunications network infrastructure in the Asia Pacific region, including a privately-owned sub-sea cable system, EAC, as well as extensive terrestrial backhauls and tele-houses in all key Asian markets. In September 2007, Asia Netcom completed the operational merger with C2C. Leveraging the EAC and C2C strategic assets, Asia Netcom provides a comprehensive portfolio of city-to-city connectivity, data communications and IP-based solutions and services to enterprise, ISP and carrier customers in the Asia Pacific region. The company is headquartered in Hong Kong with local offices in all major Asian markets, the US and Europe. For more information, please visit: http://www.asianetcom.com. About TM Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), a leading regional information and communications group, offers a comprehensive range of communication services and solutions in fixed-line, mobile, data and broadband. As one of the largest listed companies on Bursa Malaysia with an operating revenue of more than RM16 billion, TM is driven to deliver value to its stakeholders in a highly competitive environment. The Group places emphasis on continuing customer service quality enhancements and innovations. Currently, with investments and operations in 13 countries around Asia and globally, TM is focused on sustainable growth in both the local and international markets. On the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) front, the Group has always been a major corporate contributor towards responsible activities in the belief that these practices are a fundamental tenet of good corporate governance. The Group promotes 3 major platforms i.e. education, sports development and community/nation-building. Under education, TM has spent some RM800 million to develop Multimedia University with more than 20,000 students. TM has also provided scholarships to over 10,000 graduates pursuing academic programmes locally and overseas. On the sports front, TM is actively contributing towards the upliftment of football at all levels while under the community/nation-building platform, the Group contributes towards causes that bring value to the community and nation at large. For further information on TM, visit http://www.tm.com.my. Media contact: Genevieve Li Asia Netcom Tel: +852-2121-2728 Email: genevieve.li@asianetcom.com Alicia Boey Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) Tel: +603-2240-3842 HP: +601-3331-1830 Email: alicia@tmnet.com.my