RM41.5 million USP project awarded

Packet One Networks has been awarded a Universal Service Provision (USP) project tender worth over RM41.5 million by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Corporation. This project entails providing broadband service to underserved areas in Malaysia in Perak and Kedah. The deployment in 2010 will include the provision of broadband services to homes, as well as the setting up and management of community broadband centres within aforementioned areas.

“Being awarded this tender reflects MCMC’s confidence in our capabilities to provide ubiquitous, quality broadband for all. From day one, we have always been committed to contribute and become an active participant in assisting the government to meet its 50-percent household broadband penetration target by 2010,” says Michael Lai, Chief Executive Office of P1. He adds: “The tender award is proof that 4G WiMAX can efficiently and cost effectively bridge the digital divide and meet the tremendous demand for broadband in the country.”

P1 advocates that broadband is a right, not a privilege and earlier this year this year, P1 established a proof of concept internet community centre in the Felda settlement of Chini Timur, Pahang, namely, the P1 Pusat Internet Komuniti. As Malaysia’s first Internet community centre that utilises 4G WiMAX technology, the centre implemented and established best practices towards realising connected communities.

It also launched the P1 Expert Net series that conducts dialogues and gathers insights from the broadband industry, the government and the media on various issues impacting broadband penetration in the country with the ultimate goal of propelling the growth of broadband through devices, networks and applications.

P1 is the country’s fastest growing fixed broadband provider and the only local broadband operator to be given the green light to deploy 4G WiMAX nationwide (including East Malaysia). P1 has over 100,000 subscribers to date, and its 2.3GHz WiMAX network is currently the second largest in the world.

“We look forward to supporting more national development projects to propel the nation forward towards a truly connected society,” Lai concludes.