Studio Press

DiGi.Com Bhd’s share price rose as much as 3.6% or 40 sen to the highest-ever of RM11.60 on May 4 after its first quarter earnings of RM184.66 million beat consensus estimates by a wide margin.

The highest-ever for DiGi's share price was RM11.50 on March 13, 2000.

DiGi's shares opened at RM11.40, up 20 sen from May 3’s closing price of RM11.20. Within the first hour, there were 1.19 million shares done at prices ranging from RM11.40 to RM11.60.

At 10am, it was trading at RM11.50, up 30 sen.

TA Securities Research recommended a 'buy' on the stock at RM11.20 with a target price of RM12.80.

“DiGi's strong net profit beat TA and analysts’ consensus by 38% and 31% respectively,” it said in a report on May 4.

It said DiGi’s net addition in subscribers in 1Q06 was impressive as it grew strongly by 33% year-on-year to end the quarter at 5.1 million customers.

“The net addition of 219,000 came above TA's expectation of 199,000 per quarter. Meanwhile, ARPUs were holding up well despite the stiff competition,” it said.

TA Research said in terms of valuations, DiGi was trading at a discount compared to the sector average price to earnings ratio (PER) of 14.65 times and 13.6 times FY06 and FY07.

Despite that DiGi's share price was trading near its record high, it believed DiGi still offered attractive upside potential based on the new revised target price of RM12.80 including capital repayment and dividend.-theedgedaily

Green Packet Bhd and DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd have teamed up on a joint enterprise mobility solution that provides mobile professionals with easy access to enterprise applications and communications capabilities.

In a joint statement on May 4, they said the solution, which integrates Green Packet’s SONaccess Mobile Enterprise Solution with DiGi’s high-speed data packages, was ideal for enterprises with highly mobile workforces.

"The combined solution is designed to improve organisational productivity by ensuring a continuity of experiences when mobile workers roam across different networks using different devices.

"Seamless mobility is a key piece of Green Packet's strategy to extend enterprise applications and other capabilities to mobile workers who need to be accessible to customers, co-workers and corporate resources while on the move," said Green Packet general manager Kelvin Lee.

“According to IDC, 86% of enterprises have personnel that spend more than one day per week outside the office. Our joint solution allows enterprise customers to conveniently connect through DiGi’s nationwide EDGE network to corporate resources," said DiGi head of enterprise business Alex Tan.-theedgedaily

LOCAL Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) industry players face new challenges in an increasingly competitive communications arena and they will need to adapt their businesses quickly if they are to succeed, according to research firm IDC Malaysia.

These challenges include moving VoIP beyond voice, making it easier to access, and forging collaboration amongst industry players, said senior analyst Lincoln Lee.

“VoIP started out early in the millennium as a means for people wanting to make cheap calls,” he said at IDC’s Directions 2006 seminar last week.

“Today VoIP is no longer about cost savings. Technological disrupters such as fixed mobile convergence, IP telephony, WiFi and trends such as unified messaging, broadband and mobile growth have changed the landscape,” he said.

Lee said VoIP began in Malaysia predominantly as a “prepaid card” service catering to foreign workers and to those who wanted to make cheap calls in place of their PSTN (public switched telephone network) service.

“As competition grew and as more foreign workers were forced to repatriate, the market faced a shakedown,” he said, adding that many early players then fell out of the market.

But as technology advanced, the quality of calls became better such that even corporate clients began using VoIP as an alternative to PSTN connections, Lee said.

“This is approximately where we are now, an era loosely known as ‘VoIP 2.0,’” he said.

Lee said that in the VoIP 2.0 world, users are not only able to make free or cheap calls but they are beginning to experience unencumbered access to information.

“The true value for users is created by the ability to get access information – be it voice, video, text or e-mail. – anywhere, anytime. It is not about the handsets or the devices, neither is it about the display or the interface.

“When accessing the information, they want to do it as simply and as easily as possible, and without having to struggle with it,” he said.

Lee said the core principles of VoIP 2.0 is no longer the replication of PSTN service – merely to carry voice – but to view voice as an application that is integrated with web applications.

“Take a look at Skype, GoogleTalk, Project Gizmo, Vivox; all of them have call communication functions embedded with connectivity to extend their voice services,” he said.

He said local service providers must adapt to this trend and face these new challenges failing which, global players could penetrate the market and lessen the local players’ share of the pie.

“Globalisation through the Internet will blur the lines in the near future. These players could knock down the front door of the local players challenging them in their very own backyard,” he said.

To achieve better co-operation within the industry, Lee suggested that local players band together and look at how they could leverage on their collective strengths while minimising their weaknesses.

“The silo mentality has not worked. Malaysian VoIP players and the Government need to resolve issues such as interconnectivity between VoIP networks to help local players prepare for the competition.

“If not, we could lose out to global players (in the future),” he added. -theStar

Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) is allocating RM1.2mil in a bid to persuade its prepaid and Internet customers to register.

The company yesterday launched a contest/campaign called RM1mil Reward Programme, where the grand prize winner will walk away with RM1mil cash, while three others will drive away with cars worth a total of RM200,000.

Speaking after the launch, chief executive officer Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar said the contest, among other things, was aimed at beefing up TM's existing customer profile for the purpose of providing better products and services.

“This is the first time TM has embarked on a campaign of this magnitude,” he said.

Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar with actor Jalaluddin Hassan (left) at the launch of the campaign

The contest is open to all TM residential customers who currently subscribe to TM Homeline, TM Home Prepaid and TM Net services, as well as all customers of Celcom (M) Bhd. TM currently 2.9 million residential customers, 2.7 million Internet (both dial-up and Streamyx) subscribers while Celcom boasts of 7.2 million subscribers. The winner of the RM1mil prize will be announced in December.

TM's wholly-owned subsidiary, TM International Sdn Bhd (TMI), has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Middle East's largest telecommunications (telco) operator, Saudi Telecom Co (STC), to provide certain marketing and technical services to an STC-led consortium bidding for the third mobile licence in Egypt.

If the bid is successful, the joint-venture company will enter into a management services agreement with TMI. The agreement's terms will include scope of services, which is expected to cover sales and marketing, provision of IT and network services and customer care, performance targets and compensation.

STC is Saudi Arabia's incumbent telco operator and ranks among the top 15 telco operators worldwide based on market capitalisation. -theStar

Motorola today launched its MOTO4YOU global telecommunications road show in Malaysia. The two-day event will provide insights into Motorola’s strategies and technologies for operators to achieve a seamless mobility future.

In line with the telecommunications industry’s move toward convergence, Motorola’s Seamless Mobility vision aims to link people to information and entertainment virtually anywhere, at anytime, via any device.

Simon Leung, regional president, Asia Pacific, Motorola Inc., said, “The Malaysian telecommunications sector is at a crossroad where operators and regulators are putting key technologies and policies in place to introduce the next level of telecommunications services. At MOTO4YOU Malaysia, we will share our vision and commitment to help Malaysian operators leverage new and upcoming technologies to create a future of seamless connectivity.”

MOTO4YOU Malaysia provides the ideal platform for operators in Malaysia to experience innovative products, solutions and services across the entire Motorola portfolio.

Key products, solutions and services showcased at the event include:

Motorola Reach, a portfolio of GSM network solutions; CDMA and Wireless Broadband (MOTOwi4) products and services, including Motorola CDMA 1xEV-DO Rev A, HSDPA and IMS Converged Core solutions, which enable operators to offer enhanced services such as simultaneous video, voice and data applications

MOTOMESH, a mesh networking broadband solution from the MOTOwi4 portfolio, supports up to four radio networks in a single access point. This solution is applicable for public works, public users and public safety agencies in Asia Pacific

Latest mobile devices from Motorola such as RAZR V3i, V3x, SLVR L7 and RAZRWIRE, plus the latest range of MobileME wireless Bluetooth mono and stereo headsets and car kits that provide a complete mobile experience to consumers

End-user application services such as Motorola ColorNotes and M-Wallet that offer new revenue streams for operators and a fresh, exciting experience to consumers. The audience will also be introduced to Seamless Session Services that enable service providers to quickly launch, develop, deploy and manage services

Motorola will be sharing its Network Services and Applications Management expertise in enhancing network operations and enabling new deployments. Motorola’s comprehensive telecommunications services portfolio includes network optimization, security, managed services and system integration services.

There will also be a customer case study presentation of the first Canopy wireless broadband CCTV surveillance solution deployment for a property developer in Malaysia. The system facilitates on-line and real-time surveillance monitoring for a chain of luxurious condominiums.

Committed to growing in Malaysia, Motorola has established a strong presence in the country since 1974. Its investments in Malaysia include an integrated manufacturing, distribution and R&D centre in Penang, and the Motorola Malaysia Software Centre, which is located in the Multimedia Super Corridor Malaysia (MSC Malaysia). The center which employs about 300 software engineers with 99 percent being Malaysian citizens, recently received a prestigious award from the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) – the MSC Malaysia Leadership in ICT R&D Award for software engineering in network management.

“We are certainly honored to receive this accolade from MDeC. We see it as an acknowledgement of our commitment to build an innovative workforce to help enable a world-class telecommunications infrastructure for the benefit of the Malaysian people,” said Dato’ Robin Seo, country president, Motorola Malaysia and vice president, Motorola Technology Sdn Bhd, Penang.

Motorola has also deployed major cellular and mission-critical networks in Malaysia. Its other customers in the country include Royal Malaysian Police, Malaysia Express Rail Link, Maxis Communications Berhad, Telekom Malaysia Berhad and Celcom (M) Berhad.-By Jonathan Cheah

DVM Technology Bhd’s subsidiary NGC Systems Sdn Bhd is in talks with Maxis Communications Bhd and Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd to implement its 3G mobile sports video solutions. DVM executive director Chen Chee Peng said the company invested about RM7 million over two years to develop its Genico-branded 3G internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) solutions. “This partnership allows us to offer the solutions to global 3G service providers and telcos worldwide that are seeing growing demand and user penetration for 3G services and content,” he said. Chen was speaking to reporters in Kuala Lumpur on May 3 after signing an agreement with Hewlett-Packard (HP). DVM officially launched the Genico 3G Pocketsports -- a sports video streaming technology – in Malaysia that used HP’s “OpenCall Media Platform (OCMP) video server technology”. “Genico 3G IMS solutions are the key to our expansion and we will pursue business opportunities in countries that are aggressively promoting 3G services,” he said. DVM has launched the product in China and Spain. Chen hoped to secure at least one deal from a 3G operator before the 2006 World Cup tournament in June. On the partnership agreement, HP Malaysia country business manager for software global business unit, Tan Li Chin said HP would test and certify Genico 3G IMS solutions to ensure it complied with world standards. “Additionally, HP will market Genico 3G IMS solutions to the global telecommunication and broadcast industries,” she said.- theedgedaily

DiGi.Com Berhad ("DiGi") increased its pre-tax profit to RM257 million in the first quarter ending 31 March 2006 up 203% from the corresponding period last year. This is largely attributed to a 38% increase in revenue, improved margin on earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation ('EBITDA') and lower depreciation costs. In a statement on the Group's performance in the first quarter, DiGi Chief Executive Officer Morten Lundal said: "We successfully grew our mobile customer base to 5.1 million and enhanced operational and cost efficiency, generating RM861 million in revenues. Despite keen competition, we held blended average revenue per user at RM54." Lundal said: "The first quarter clearly indicates that DiGi's value propositions are now better known and increasingly the preferred choice by more and more Malaysians. DiGi customers know they can expect more innovations and irresistible valued-added services." There was an all-round increase usage of DiGi products and services, including voice, non-SMS application and SMS. Lundal said: "Mobile data revenue is beginning to show strong potential, growing by 57% to account for 18% of the total mobile revenue compared with 17% a year ago." During the quarter, operational performance posted a 42% increase in EBITDA to RM390 million driven by lower sales and marketing expenses which strengthened EBITDA margin to 45.3% from 44 % last year. Despite a larger capitalised assets base, the Group recorded lower depreciation and amortisation costs. This followed a revision of estimated useful life of certain types of property, plant and equipment last year that captured an additional RM45 million through accelerated depreciation. Profit after taxation recorded a 219% increase to reach RM185 million for the first quarter of 2006 contributing to higher earnings per share of 24.6 sen against 7.7 sen achieved last year. The first capital repayment of 75 sen per share has been approved by the High Court of Malaya and cash payout is expected on 18 May 2006. An Extraordinary General Meeting will be held immediately after the Company's Annual General Meeting on 19 May to seek shareholders approval on the proposed second capital repayment of 60 sen per ordinary share.

Having secured a third-generation (3G) licence, Time dotCom Bhd now wants to revamp its business with plans which include a re-branding exercise and finding a new managing director.

It is also working on a business model that would see it focusing solely on data (high-speed wireless broadband services) rather than voice, as most operators with 3G spectra would do.

Time dotCom is also believed to be looking into engaging Britain-based Spectrum Strategy Ltd to help draw up a business plan for submission to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to be assigned the 3G spectrum. The submission deadline is Sept 3.

Several companies globally had in the past engaged Spectrum to map out their business plans for submission to the authorities and at least two local players had taken the same route previously.

In March, the Government announced that Time dotCom and MiTV Corp Sdn Bhd had won the remaining two 3G spectra in the second round of bidding. Maxis Communications Bhd and Telekom Malaysia Bhd won the first round of 3G spectrum awards some years earlier.

According to a source, Time dotCom needs a solid business plan to move ahead and it sees 3G “as the vital link between its fibre-optic network and the end-user.”

In the past, Time dotCom tried to connect end-users to its network with wireless technology, Webbit, but 3G was seen as a better option as it offered economies of scale, the source said.

The company has a fibre-optic network that spans Peninsular Malaysia and a festoon submarine cable network around the peninsula. For now, nearly 30% of its network capacity is being utilised but sources close to Time dotCom said the capacity usage could double if 3G technologies were deployed successfully.

The company has also not decided on the vendor for 3G deployment even though it had worked with several for its submission. For nationwide deployment, Time dotCom said earlier it would only spend RM800mil. This is some 20% lower than what the other mobile operators are spending, i.e. over RM1bil.

But Time dotCom intends to focus on data, unlike its rivals which offer data and voice.

Sources said while the company was working out plans on 3G deployments, talks with Jaring are in progress.

The directive from the Government was clear for Time dotCom and Jaring to merge, said a source, adding that pricing had to be ironed out between the parties but the synergies were already there.

“It is really about finding a balance, as the due diligence has been completed,” the source said.

When merged with Jaring, Time dotCom would have to look at its branding. Would it want to “be associated with the dotcom era and continue with its dotcom name”, or start afresh with a new name, or opt for the Jaring name for its products?

The source said the company was keen to let go of its name. In fact, even its parent Time Engineering Bhd is considering a re-branding, an issue its board is looking at seriously.

And the search for a managing director is on since its former MD Tan See Yin has been reassigned as head of UEM World Bhd’s international business unit.

Time dotCom, Time and UEM World are in the United Engineers (M) Bhd (UEM) stable of companies.

“The search is on for someone within the industry. Someone who knows the market well and can help strategise the way forward and boost marketing efforts, so that with 3G there are no hiccups.

“Getting the 3G spectrum is akin to getting a new lease of life and Time dotCom does not have any time to spare if it wants to be a serious player in the broadband market,” a source said.

Presently, four people (two each from the board and management) oversee the day-to-day running of the company. -theStar

Samsung has launched the new slim SGH-D520. A masterpiece in design, the tri-band D520 is slimmed and trimmed with all of today’s latest features. This model defines sophistication, uniqueness, and style for the student, worker, modernist, and the music appreciator in you.

The slim and trim D520 is a smooth slide-up with captivating contour-edge design and compact casing. Easy to grip and to operate, the D520 measures in at just 101 x 46 x 15.9mm and weighs a mere 93g for mobility with style. Discreetly slip away the slim mobile solution in your jean pocket or shirt pocket to carry around anywhere and anytime.

The gentle super-smooth slide mechanism gives users access to an array of multimedia functions and business applications. Tucked away underneath the D520 are advanced mobile functions that fits the digital lifestyle of today’s consumers. Take stunning snapshots using the 1.3 megapixel camera and showcase it on the beautiful 262k colour screen. Do not miss a beat of the latest tune as the D520 with Bluetooth stereo support become your music companion. Also, store and transfer up to 80MB of important documents with internal memory and USB connectivity to get business done whenever and wherever.

Kitae Lee, President of the Samsung Electronics Telecommunication Network Business, said, “Samsung mobiles truly understand the wants and needs of our active consumers. The D520 is a slender mobile solution with all of the latest applications. Samsung is excited to present new slim models to our customers around the world, and we will continue to reveal new models to fit our customers’ needs.”

Samsung’s D520 launch is following in the footsteps of Samsung’s earlier releases of the SGH-D820 and the SGH-P300. The D820 is a slim slider with a rich QVGA 2.12” screen and a load of multimedia functions. The P300, better known as “the Card Phone” has the same unique dimensions of a credit card with a thickness of 8.9mm. The D520 will be the newest member to join Samsung’s line-up of stylishly slim mobiles.

The SGH-D520 will be available to the European and Southeast Asian market beginning in May.-By Jonathan Cheah

Samsung Electronics announced that it has developed the industry’s first amorphous silicon (a-Si) seven-inch, single-chip TFT-LCD panel that reproduces colours in high resolution (WVGA-level, 800×480 pixels).

The seven-inch LCDs are mostly used in mobile devices including DMB (digital multimedia broadcasting), PMP (portable multimedia players) and CNS (car navigation systems), and normally require 4 to 7 drive ICs(integrated circuit). Also, on a conventional seven-inch LCD panel, the T-con (time controller that drives the screen), power platform and other components typically are attached to a circuit board on the exterior of the LCD. The complexity of this integration point has been a major obstacle to slimming the package profile of mobile LCD devices.

The new single-chip design, with a contrast ratio of 400:1 and a brightness level of 450 nits, uses Samsung’s unique ASG (amorphous silicon gate) technology. The ASG incorporates the Gate-driver IC function directly on the surface of the glass panel, while simultaneously integrating the T-con function within the Drive-IC. In the single-chip design, the surface area of the drive circuit and the number of components that it contains are each one-third less than that used in existing WVGA panel designs.

With the new single-chip LCD, Samsung can support the trend toward thinner and simpler mobile devices, while decreasing the overall circuit development and production burden for set builders by combining the functionality of multiple digital components.

Senior Vice President Hyung-Gul Kim, of the LCD Mobile Display Development Team says, “Samsung Electronics has successfully challenged the generally accepted idea that a high degree of circuit integration using amorphous silicon (a-Si) is prohibitively difficult. With our new seven-inch WVGA LCD prototype panel, dramatic improvements in LCD design are not only prudent, but also quite feasible using this highly reliable a-Si approach.”

The one-chip seven-inch WVGA panel will be first publicly displayed during the first week of June at the SID (Society for Information Display) Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco.-By Jonathan Cheah

LG Electronics (LG), a leader in mobile TV technology, announced the launch o f the LG-U900, the world’s first commercially available UMTS (WCDMA) DVB-H phone, at a ceremony in Rome, It aly on April 27. The LG-U900 will be available early May through Hutchison, a leading global telecommunicati ons services provider, in time for the 2006 World Cup.

Hutchison Italy, the country’s largest 3G telecommunications provider, has exclusive DVB-H broadcasting rig hts for the 2006 World Cup. The company will provide video footage of all World Cup matches beginning June 6, through the Hutchison’s service channels, ‘La3’. Hutchison plans to offer the LG UMTS (WCDMA) DVB-H phone to customers world-wide, after initially establishi ng a base in Italy.

Mr. Mun-Hwa Park, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company, said: “We are so prou d that LG is supplying the world’s first commercially available UMTS (WCDMA) DVB-H phone through Hutchison Italy. LG has already proven its unrivalled mobile multimedia technology in 3G markets by introducing a seri es of first-of-their-kind models including SDMB and TDMB handsets. LG will continue to introduce advanced te chnology that is second-to-none in the mobile TV industry.”

Mr. Vincenzo Novari, the CEO of Hutchison Italia said at the ceremony, “With support from LG Electronics, o ur company will strengthen its leadership in the 3G mobile communication market.”

LG’s new LG-U900 DVB-H handset features a 2.2-inch ‘wide-swing’ screen for mobile TV viewing. Its premium digital broadcasting functions include ESG (Electronics Service Guide) and CAS (Conditional Access System). These functions shall support enhanced business models for mobile and broadcasting operators. Users can watc h TV for up to three hours because of the phone’s long battery life. The LG-U900 is also equipped with a 1.3 mega-pixel & VGA digital camera, an internal memory capacity of 58MB.

The UMTS (WCDMA) DVB-H technology evolved from DVB-T, European terrestrial digital broadcast technology, bec oming the European mobile broadcast standard. It provides high-speed data transmission, a variety of channel s, a high-resolution screen and strong mobile broadcasting.

LG produces handsets using all available mobile broadcast technologies including DVB-H, DMB and MediaFLO. I n January 2006, LG became the first company to develop and introduce 3G UMTS (WCDMA) DVB-H, CDMA MediaFLO an d DMB phones. LG introduced the world’s first 3G UMTS (WCDMA) TDMB phone, the LG-V9000, in September 2005.

According to Strategy Analytics, a predominant worldwide handset market analysis company, mobile TV phones w ill reach 8 million units globally by the end of 2006 and the mobile TV market is expected to grow to 120 mi llion subscribers by 2010.

Nokia's Marketing Manager Geraldine Wong tells the BRATs about what young people mean to them, and what they are doing to capture the youth market in their industry.

Why are the youths important to Nokia?

Every consumer, regardless of age, is important to us. We feel that it is critical for us to provide products that fulfill both form and function for a wide range of people and we believe we are doing just that. Youths will the ones who will experience the greatest changes when it comes to mobile devices. They are conversant in technology and are virtually fearless when it comes to trying something new.

When we design our products, it is with a mind to give this segment of the market a mobile device that meets and surpasses their needs. Not to sound clichéd, but they are the future for Nokia.

What does Nokia think the youths are looking for these days?

They are looking for a device that does it all. The ability to surf the Internet, listen to music, take photographs, record special moments via video and share these images and video with friends is so important. The ability to do it with one device is key. And they want to look cool doing it. The Nokia 3250 is a great example of a device that offers youth today such a combination. It looks great and yet does not compromise on features.

Music is so important to youth today and we think that this device delivers the best while making them the envy of all their friends.

How do you gauge what youths want?

We conduct extensive research in the market and we also find ways to talk to youths. We have a numbers of programmes that allow us to connect with Malaysian youth to see what is driving them today.

The recent Nokia Defend Your Turf Challenge was meant to reach out to youths and to appeal to what they find interesting. The same can be said of the AND1 Streetball Challenge that is being run with The Star. We have found youths are keen to find ways to express themselves but in healthy ways and we are keen to support that.

Another example is the Upstart programme that we run each year for aspiring artists – in the fine art and audio-visual categories.

How have they responded?

We think that youths have responded very positively to our events. All of the activities that I have spoken of have drawn tremendous turnout and support from youths.

We have seen record numbers of participants turn out for futsal, street basketball and also for our arts programme – a sign that we make sense to youths in Malaysia.

Do you have any future plans to try to further strengthen your hold on this market?

We are always looking for ways to speak to youths – and we will continue to plan for this in the future. Our goal is to give Malaysian youths a space where they can express themselves.

Nokia has found ways to work with The Star and R.AGE (The Star's pullout for young people available at selected colleges and universities around the country) to conduct mobile film-making challenges to give youths a creative way to express themselves.

We also plan to have imaging workshops where youths will get an “education” on the best ways to use their Nokia devices to capture and express their creativity. Who knows? We may find the next Richard Avedon or Ang Lee right here in Malaysia!

What are the challenges you face in trying to capture the youth market?

We can only hope that we are addressing the needs of youths today by providing them with the right devices that allow them to enjoy being youths! Also, judging by the response to our Upstart programme and also to the Nokia Defend Your Turf Challenge and the AND1 Streetball Challenge, we believe we are more than meeting that challenge.

HANDPHONE use during storms can be deadly as lightning is attracted to the electromagnetic waves emitted by the phone's built-in antenna.

Universiti Putra Malaysia lecturer Dr Ishak Arif told Berita Harian that handphones used radio frequencies (electromagnetic waves) of between 9,900MHz and 1.2GHz, while 3G phones used 3GHz or more.

“The signals sent out while users are communicating via their handphones can attract lightning bolts,” he said, adding that a person standing in an open space faced a higher risk of being hit by lightning.

He said lightning bolts that carried thousands of volts could pass through a person within seconds, resulting in instant death.

Dr Ishak advised handphone users to switch them off during thunderstorms.

“Apart from the antennas, handphone casings that have metal parts can also attract lightning bolts,” he added.

Kosmo! reported Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo as saying that gangsters were behind the spread of the illegal scrap metal trade in the Klang Valley,

He said the industry had become a thorn in the side for the state and police.

“I know the industry is backed by gangsters because I was also intimidated by them once,” said Dr Khir.

He said there were too many illegal scrap metal businesses in the state and it had become difficult to control them.

“In Klang alone, there are some 200 premises and another 60 within the Selayang municipality,” he added.

“When the local authority's officers approach these illegal operators they will say that the police issued them licences. If the police were to approach them, they would say the council gave them the licence.

“But now we have decided to send down an executive councillor who will bring along officers from the council and police to check,” he said, adding that those who wished to apply for licences must fulfil certain criteria. -theStar

TM Net is using music as a way to promote its streamyx services. So if you’re a fan of old-school rocker Amy of Search or would like to hear the vocal chops of Malaysian Idol 2005 winner Jaclyn Victor, make your way to one of the venues of TM Net’s Broadband Fiesta 2006.

“We hope to encourage Malaysians to embrace the digital lifestyle. We see music as one of the ways to do this. The main reason why people don’t subscribe to broadband is the lack of compelling content. Music is a part of people’s lives; at the Fiesta, people can listen to music, play games and experience broadband technology for themselves,” said TM Net chief executive officer Michael Lai.

The fiesta will run from April 29 to Nov 11. The event is now in its second year. Attendees will be able to participate in the GameZone tournament at the event. GameZone is an online platform that provides a range of computer game services. -theStar

According to Lai, the second reason for most Malaysians not subscribing to broadband is affordability.

“We will not lower prices but we have an introductory package where you can surf for 10 hours at broadband speeds for RM20 a month. We introduced the package two months ago and have had a few thousand subscribers, and we’ve seen a few converts to more expensive packages. The entry point (pricewise) is important,” said Lai.

This year Broadband Fiesta is organised in partnership with local IT companies FTEC System Sdn Bhd and Aztech Sdn Bhd.

Aztech will showcase its digital home concept which employs broadband networking, the Skype digital enhanced cordless telephone and digital music player while FTEC will be showing off its PCs and notebooks.

At the fiesta, there will also be TM Net promotional booths where visitors are encouraged to check out the latest broadband products and services.

Broadband Fiesta 2006 will be held in several venues across the country, including Penang, Kuantan, Ipoh, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Johor Baru and Selangor. TM Net expects a turnout of 1,000 people per day.

TM Net currently has 500,000 broadband subscribers.

BESIDES being richer by RM10,000, the winning team in the search for the Spirit of KL will enjoy free airtime on their mobile phones and sleek, new handsets as well.

The champion will bag the RM10,000 grand prize, Nokia 6270 phones and RM50 reload for three months.

“DiGi will also be sponsoring other freebies including T-shirts, cash voucher and IMAX movie tickets,” said DiGi head of marketing, communications and promotions Jeanette Lee during a briefing for Spirit of KL finalists on Tuesday.

Spirit of KL is organised by R.AGE, The Star’s youth pullout available at selected colleges and universities around the country.

Lee (right) and her DiGi colleague Nancy Tan with a mock cheque of the RM10,000 grand prize that will be presented to the winning team at the Spirit of KL finals on May 4.

“Our association with The Star in Spirit of KL is a perfect synergy because the competition is targeted at youths and we have MTV Power Pack, which is a youth product,” said Lee. “We can reach a wider audience.”

She added that mobile phone and services play an incredible role among youths and DiGi wanted to ensure that it would be useful for them by providing information and eventually be a source of entertainment.

Representatives from DiGi briefed the participants on the various services that they could subscribe to and the perks they would receive.

In the preliminary round last Saturday, 145 teams had sheer fun and excitement in Berjaya Times Square completing tasks using DiGi products and services.

Twenty teams, comprising students from colleges and universities, will be combing the city in the finals on May 4 in search of the heartbeat of the city.

“The intensity of the race will be double or triple the preliminary round because it will not be as simple as getting clues to solve the question. Each member has to be involved to complete the tasks,” said Lee, adding that creativity, resourcefulness, innovative and teamwork would be reflected in their work.

Spirit of KL is a project by The Star and presented by DiGi. Other sponsors of this event include Berjaya Times Square, Federal Hotel and Redfm. -thestar