As some of you might already know, TM launched their HSBB project named ‘UniFi’ last night at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur and the launching ceremony was witnessed by our very own prime minister. The full press release is as follow:

Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) delivered its promises of launching its next-generation High Speed Broadband (HSBB) service at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur today at a gala launch event featuring broadband lifestyle showcases, interactive exhibitions and a live concert for members of the public. TM also unveiled ‘UniFi’, the new brand for TM’s high speed broadband service, which signifies the essence of the service of connecting and bringing people together to communicate and collaborate.

UniFi promises a world of faster, richer and more reliable online experience.

The launch ceremony was graced by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak, Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri YAB Tan Sri Muhyiddin bin Mohd. Yassin and other members of the government administration.

Datuk Dr. Halim Shafie, Chairman, TM, said, “Now that UniFi, our next-generation Internet infrastructure and service has arrived for Malaysians; we anticipate it will be a digital lifestyle changer as well as enabler for the vast majority of our subscribers. I am truly excited at this next phase of growth for TM where we are aiming to take our services to the next level.”

TM’s UniFi high speed broadband packages comprises triple-play services of high speed Internet, video (IPTV), and phone, with speeds of 5 Mbps, 10Mbps and 20Mbps. The IPTV service which makes up part of the value-add bundled service will be delivered via an 8Mbps connection exclusively and in addition to the data speeds subscribed by the customers. With IPTV, customers can enjoy 22 linear channels, Video-On-Demand and interactive services such as games, tourism information, etc.

The initial areas covered by TM’s UniFi are the 4 exchange areas of Shah Alam, Subang Jaya, Taman Tun Dr Ismail and Bangsar. In addition to these 4 exchange areas, UniFi will be expanded to another 22 exchange areas by June and a further 22 by December. That means, by year-end 2010, TM’s UniFi will cover 48 exchange areas with a total of 750,000 premises passed. This would include key areas such as Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and Iskandar Malaysia. A schedule of expansion and area availability is available on the TM website.

As of today, TM has already completed 311,000 premises passed, surpassing the target of 300,000 premises passed by the end of March.
“Premises passed” refers to the number of premises that are connected by UniFi and have the ready option to take up the service if they wanted to.

TM will be engaging in awareness campaigns and direct marketing to the households and businesses in these areas. Interested customers are welcome to register their interest on the TM website at www.tm.com.my.

Dato’ Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa, Group Chief Executive Officer, TM, enthused, “Our efforts in putting in place a high speed broadband fibre-optic infrastructure is the first of its kind in the world with regards to its scope and time-to-build. Some 4,000 of our staff are involved in the project and have been working relentlessly since 18 months ago after we signed the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with the Government. This project also involved over 2,500 staff of our contractors who have been instrumental towards contributing to the premises passed thus far. So the launch of UniFi, delivered on time as promised is a testament to the dedication, determination and teamwork of all the people involved in the project. I would say that the launch of UniFi supports our belief that TM has shouldered this responsibility to the best of our ability, and the trust put on us to deliver the project has not been misplaced.”

Dato’ Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa went on to add, “TM expects customers’ registrations and installations to begin at a more measured pace for the first three months to ensure installation quality and fine tune the network in the initial four areas before gradually picking up steam as the installation teams gather more experience. TM also explained that installation of fibre to the home is completely different from copper wire installation. The work requires skilled handling with a high degree of accuracy. As such, the service installation at customer premises can take more than 4 hours, depending on the complexity of the work required for various types of premises and their specific location. These are the “growing pains” that can be expected in this initial period of the service roll-out. TM has trained a crew of 60 installers for the initial stages of the rollout who will be working 7 days a week to fulfil subscriber signups. At the same time, TM is continuously improving its internal capability and making preparations to scale this up depending on demand received. TM has also put in place the required customer support platforms, 24 by 7, dedicated to UniFi customers to enable them to enjoy enhanced customer service levels.”

HSBB is a flagship project of the National Broadband Initiative that will help boost the country’s competitiveness and enable citizens and businesses to tap into the opportunities in the social and economic spheres. From the economic perspective, HSBB is expected to have a high multiplier effect for businesses, allowing for easier and more efficient collaboration that will drive productivity levels higher and enhance revenue generation. Local and foreign companies here will have access to new applications and be able to reach more markets, which in turn will boost the potential for Foreign Direct Investment from multinational players seeking to use Malaysia as a regional hub.

Signed in September 2008, the RM11.3 billion national HSBB project is a Public-Private-Partnership agreement between TM and the Government of Malaysia to develop next generation high speed broadband infrastructure and services for the nation. TM is putting up RM8.9 billion while the Government is co-investing RM2.4 billion on an incurred claims basis based on project milestones reached by TM.

By the end of 2012 – in accordance with the completion of the first phase of the national HSBB project roll-out as agreed with the Government — approximately 1.3 million premises will be passed nationwide, giving them access to TM UniFi services. These nationwide areas — identified as Zone 1 — include the Inner Klang Valley, Iskandar Malaysia, and key industrial sites around the nation.

No pricing was revealed but rumors (most likely an insider information) are saying that it will start at a price tag of RM150 to somewhere near RM300 covering three different packages within this price range. The official announcement on the pricing is expected to be out later today so stay tuned! Want to UniFi yourself?