The partnership further elevates TIME’s credibility and position as an industry leader and contributes towards a better Malaysia

By TMR

TIME dotCom Bhd has entered into a partnership with Facebook Inc to invest in Internet infrastructure, opening up Malaysia to more connections and international hubs; as well as strengthening connectivity in South-East Asia.

The network infrastructure project stemming from this partnership is expected to be completed by end of second quarter of 2020 and will be used exclusively to support Facebook and its family of applications.

Malaysia’s strategic location in the heart of South-East Asia and position as an East-West gateway makes it an attractive destination for foreign investments in Internet infrastructure, enhancing the growth of Malaysia’s digital economy.

Facebook Asia-Pacific network investment manager Nico Roehrich said in a statement: “Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to build communities and bring the world closer together. This partnership will allow us to build a faster and more efficient network to better support our family of apps and services.”

Meanwhile, TIME head of over the-top Chiew Kok Hin (picture) said: “TIME is honoured to be Facebook’s chosen partner in this project. It further elevates TIME’s credibility and position as an industry leader, as well as contributing towards a better Malaysia.

“We look forward to the prospects that this partnership offers, as it opens the door for Malaysia to establish itself as a regional technology hub. More international connectivity and a robust domestic backbone will attract sizeable investments into Malaysia. It only makes sense for us to capitalise on the strategic location of Malaysia in South-East Asia, ease of access and relatively lower cost of entry.”

The government is constantly reviewing policies, laws and regulations to adapt to the fast-changing global market landscape. For example, the Transport Ministry (MoT) has simplified regulatory approval by revising the existing cabotage policy, so that local and foreign vessels carrying out undersea cable repairs within Malaysian waters can start work without delay.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo said the joint effort between the MoT and the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia is in line with the National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan to promote investments in undersea cables and encourage the deployment of landing centres in Malaysia.

“Malaysia strongly encourages all undersea cables planned for deployment in this region to land in Malaysia to take advantage of the cabotage exemption for undersea cable repairs. With more undersea cables and a faster cable repair approval process in place, Malaysians can enjoy a faster and more reliable Internet access to international sites,” Gobind added.

Working closely with the industry, the government has taken significant steps to boost Malaysia’s competitiveness to make the country attractive to global technology giants like Facebook, Google LLC, Amazon.com Inc, Microsoft Corp, Apple Inc, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd, to name a few.

In addition to being investors of submarine cables, these companies are also builders of hyperscale data centres around the world.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said: “Let us break down the silos and stay agile to industry demands. As we attract more high value investments from global technology giants into Malaysia, our telecommunications and Internet industry will grow from strength to strength, resulting in the creation of more jobs and business opportunities.”