The Star speaks to people within the business industry to gauge their response.


Sherilyn Foong,
Private Equity Manager,
Newasia Capital

In today’s uber competitive global business arena where speed, innovation, flexibility, nimbleness and first mover advantages separate the men from the boys, HSBB is regarded as a necessity, not a luxury. As for Malaysia launching HSBB on March 24, it’s a case of better late than never! Indeed, it is crucial for Malaysia to play catch up in this aspect, which has been highlighted by the international expat business community in the last couple of years.

What’s lacking is obviously, speed, service and quality, and competitive pricing.The lack of competitive pricing is in part due to the limited competition from the few industry players and insufficient investment in this area previously. There is a lot of room for improvement. What we consumers need is really one great aggressive and innovative player to shake up the industry, and the others will follow suit quickly. Just look at what happened to the mobile telephony segment.

In my line - business of investments, where timeliness and instant information and data is a constant, broadband is extremely crucial. It’s akin to oxygen to a human body, essential to get it functioning smoothly and well. As such, I am pleased that our much-awaited HSBB is finally here!

From the business perspective, HSBB will definitely improve efficiencies and hence productivity. In industries where timeliness is imperative, we should expect to see much improvement. This development is also timely and important for the National Economic Model (NEM) and in order to move up the value creation chain in a knowledge-driven economy.


Jeffri Shahul Hamid
Chief Executive Officer
Teneo Technologies Sdn Bhd

It is very encouraging to read about the HSBB initiative by the government. Current limitations in infrastructure and Internet access in the country have reached a saturation point, making it difficult for technology providers to introduce more innovative ideas and applications. The success of HSBB will be dependant not only from a cost perspective, but also the ability to provide high service levels to both businesses and consumers.

What we are currently lacking is assured service levels from broadband providers. Inconsistent service levels over the years have hindered the use of broadband in more critical environments. Penetration of broadband into less developed areas of the nation has also proved to be a very challenging matter. It would be good to see more competition in the broadband industry as this would provide more choices to businesses and consumers, and at the same time, address requirements for alternative Internet services.

I run an Internet-based business and we rely very heavily on the Internet. The introduction of HSBB will definitely change the way operations are conducted as more automation and remote computing can be achieved. We would also be in a position to develop richer Internet applications and offer these to businesses for them to stay more competitive. Having 100Mbps Internet services is definitely a dream come true!

If implemented efficiently, businesses will be capable of introducing more efficient online services with rich content. This will transform the way businesses are conducted and lead towards a better rate of ICT adoption and investments in online and multimedia technologies. Service level and efficiency improvements will naturally benefit the consumers as they are able to get real time information via an integrated online experience. These combined will lead towards a better lifestyle and growth of the nation in today’s competitive landscape.

Dato’ Lim Kok Han (Managing Director)
Perfect Driving Academy Sdn Bhd

Being in this industry, our daily business is mainly done online, from registration of students in KPP (Kurrikulum Pendidikan Pemandu) classes and updating class and lesson attendance to booking students for online highway code tests. Having HSBB would definitely benefit us, as well as increase the efficiency and productivity on the part of my company, since things can be done much faster and without interruption. This also helps very much in terms of customer satisfaction and productivity on the part of my company, since things can be done much faster and without interruption. This also helps very much in terms of customer satisfaction and delivery.

The way I see it, it is of utmost importance to have fast and stable connection when it comes to broadband,especially when it comes to businesses that carry out a lot of online transactions daily. It is very frustrating when urgent transactions cannot be done because of a lagging Internet connection, or they get cut off mid-way due to connection disruptions. Therefore, I think it is a timely move by the government to launch the HSBB. I believe this will have a positive impact on the business community and it goes a long way towards the greater good of the nation.

Mike Lum
Owner of a toy blogshop

Being an owner of an online blogshop, I rely heavily on the Internet to conduct my business transactions. With the competitive broadband market today, business owners like us have the luxury of choosing the best services these providers have to offer.

For me three things are important. Firstly it is speed. My business relies heavily on pictures, graphics, so the upload/download speed must be fast for customers to view our products.

Secondly, quality of services. Since it’s so competitive, we consumers want to get the best for the amount we are paying. Lastly, affordability. If we were offered broadband services, which are reliable, fast and with a stable connection, I wouldn’t mind paying for it. Of course, these providers have to be reasonable with their rates. No one wants to fork out a ridiculous amount for services we can get for less and what if in the long-run these providers can’t deliver as promised?

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