PENANG, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 11 August 2021 – The Angkasa-X Group of Companies (Angkasa-X) has announced plans to transform Penang into a regional space technology ecosystem hub to further foster local innovation, technology transfer while also enabling jobs and opportunities throughout Malaysia.

Angkasa-X chairman & CEO Dr Sean Seah (centre) with Silkwave and CMMB chairman & CEO Charles Wong (left) and Bank of Asia founder & chairman Carson Wen (right).

Its executive chairman and CEO Dr Sean Seah said that Angkasa-X, in partnership with Silkwave Holdings Limited (Silkwave) that currently operates two GEO-satellite platforms, is set to establish a space technology ecosystem in Penang and to nurture the state into a supply chain and distribution hub for global satellite technologies for the ASEAN markets.

Silkwave is a subsidiary of CMMB Vision Holdings Limited (HKEX:471) that is traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and which engages in the provision of media and transmission services (CMMB).

Sean said that the Penang space technology ecosystem would also encompass key satellite industries and academic institutions, with a focus on research and development, coupled with intellectual property creation of next-generation satellite technologies and applications customised specifically for ASEAN.

“In our efforts to further boost the space technology ecosystem in Penang, we would also be seeking support from Hong Kong to recruit global satellite technology providers to establish their research and development and localisation centres in Penang for low-tariff market access to other ASEAN countries,” said Sean.

He was speaking after a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Angkasa-X and Silkwave to establish a joint-venture strategic partnership to develop the world’s first Geostationary (GEO) – Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) integrated satellite network and service platform for ASEAN communities.

Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow described the partnership as an ‘innovative breakthrough’ for the state: “I would like to congratulate both Angkasa-X and Silkwave for this collaboration which is expected to further elevate the liveability stature of Penang, one of the key goals of Penang 2030.”

“Penang’s strong talent pool has long been a key driver in the state’s success in attracting strategic investments, especially in selected niche industries,” said Chow.

“Penang has attracted strategic investments in the past years, which translated into creating thousands of high-quality job opportunities. With this strategic effort to transform Penang into a regional space technology ecosystem hub, it is set to attract more FDIs (foreign direct investments) into Penang,” added the chief minister.

From Jan-2019 to Mar-2020, Penang attracted RM24 billion of manufacturing investment inflows, out of which, 90% are from the electrical and electronics, equipment and medical technology industries.

Particularly, Penang FDI accounted for 34% of Malaysia’s total FDI during the period, underscoring the State’s role in driving the country’s participation in the global supply chain, as well as MNCs’ continued confidence in the state as a conducive and sustainable investment destination.

This GEO-LEO integrated satellite platform serves to address the region’s varying needs in Internet connectivity, multimedia infotainment, vehicle-connected services, precision tracking and navigation, environmental monitoring and surveillance, and accelerating digital transformation to grow the digital economy for all communities in the ASEAN region.

GEO satellites circle the Earth above the equator following the Earth’s rotation at an altitude of 35,786 km, while LEO satellites are normally rotate in Earth orbits of around 1,000 km but could be as low as 400 km above the surface of the earth.

“This partnership is set to accelerate the ASEAN countries into becoming full-fledged and advanced digital economies, while enabling Angkasa-X and Silkwave to become ASEAN’s first GEO-LEO satellite services operator through the ‘A-SEANLINK Satellite Constellation’,” said Sean, who also serves as the deputy chairman of both the Malaysian National Tech Association (PIKOM) and The World  Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA).

Although the 11 ASEAN countries today has a population estimated at 675 million people, it is estimate that over 50% or some 350 million people living in remote rural areas have inadequate or no Internet connectivity.

“Even in most cities, Internet access is widely under-provided, as it is plagued by insufficient bandwidth, high infrastructure cost, poor coverage, and expensive data charge,” said Silkwave chairman and CEO Charles Wong.

“The inadequate Internet service is a major bottleneck hindering the region’s digital economic transformation. Satellite Internet is seen as the most effective and ease to deploy solution to alleviate such problems and to further narrow the digital divide with developed countries,” added Charles, who is also chairman and CEO of Silkwave’s parent company CMMB.

Besides building a GEO-LEO converged satellite infrastructure to provide Satellite-As-A-Service (SAAS) to ASEAN countries, the partnership would also result in deploying trial satellite-service rollout in Malaysia to accelerate regional commercial rollouts.

Both companies would also be marketing the combined products and services under a joint service provider agreement to effectively penetrate the ASEAN economies.

Under the MoU, Angkasa-X and Silkwave are also aiming to create the ASEAN-Greater Bay Area Space-Satellite Industry Alliance to accelerate technology and investment transfer to develop the ASEAN region as one of the world’s largest satellite markets.

“The partnership is the first between a GEO and a LEO platform, which will bring about unprecedented synergies such as universal connectivity along with abundant low-cost and innovative infotainment and broadband data services to mass-market consumers throughout the ASEAN region,” explained Charles.

“It is set to usher in a new era of digital transformation for ASEAN, which see the region leapfrog into becoming one of the largest and most advanced satellite service markets in the world.”

On the funding part, the Bank of Asia (BOA), licensed and regulated by the authorities of the British Virgin Islands, has been appointed as the global financial advisor for outreach to investors from ASEAN, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and the United States of America. BOA is involved in the consummation and further fund raising for Angkasa-X and Silkwave developments. Together with its partners, BOA is creating a ‘Space Fund’ in Hong Kong to invest in Angkasa-X, Silkwave and other space technology development projects in Asia.

Meanwhile, Bank of Asia chairman Carson Wen said: “Bank of Asia is very privileged to be involved in the Angkasa-X and Silkwave joint venture, and we are very excited with the huge ‘blue ocean’ ahead while also playing our part for underserved communities.”

“This is the coming together of like-minded people with the expertise, resources and commitment to provide connectivity, infotainment and other valuable satellite-services to the ASEAN population and enterprises at large,” added Carson.

About ANGKASA-X

ANGKASA-X is a Technological-social Inclusion Company that strives to provide Internet Connectivity as a Necessity for the betterment of mankind. It consists of a group of companies investing in research & development, IP creation, technology & components sourcing, assembly-integration-testing, launching and maintaining state-of-the-art Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) satellites. By offering an innovative Satellite-as-a-Service (SaaS) to countries in ASEAN, Angkasa-X’s mission is to provide satellite internet-connectivity and other services to remote rural areas in the countries in ASEAN and neighbouring countries to establish ASEAN Space Economy via the formation of A-SEANLINK LEO Satellites Constellation. Angkasa-X plans to raise funds from the global capital market to invest and operate A-SEANLINK LEO Satellite Constellation. It aspires to be a Unicorn and the number one unique company for LEO satellite-based Internet services in ASEAN region. For more information on the company, please visit http://www.angkasax-innovation.com

#ANGKASA-X

About SILKWAVE

SILKWAVE, a member of SILKWAVE Holdings and its affiliate CMMB Vision Holdings Limited, is the world’s first dedicated mobile multimedia infotainment and application provider that combines mobile satellite broadcasting with terrestrial cellular connectivity via Converged™ technology to deliver high-quality, low-cost, live, and on-demand multimedia and data services. It has a Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite platform over Asia and developed end-to-end ecosystem support. CMMB Vision is a Hong Kong main board listed company and a digital multimedia and satellite service and application provider holding 20% stake of SILKWAVE and is its de facto management. For more information on the company, please visit http://www.silkwaves.com .

#SILKWAVE

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 11 August 2021 – SUNeVision Holdings Ltd. (“SUNeVision”; SEHK: 1686), the number one data centre provider in Hong Kong, today announces a new strategic collaboration with Tencent Cloud to further expand both parties’ presence and connectivity in Asia. Tencent Cloud is now available on SUNeVision MEGA Campus to address its fast-growing customer demand.

As part of Tencent Cloud’s strategic deployment in Asia, this addition will be its third data centre (availability zone) in Hong Kong:

• Expanding presence in Hong Kong: The launch of the third availability zone in Hong Kong is part of Tencent Cloud’s strategy to rapidly and efficiently expand its cloud infrastructure and international portfolio.  The addition of availability zone on SUNeVision MEGA Campus would further support Tencent Cloud to scale up its infrastructure-building capabilities to enhance its rich array of global services.

• Advancing customers’ hybrid cloud strategy: SUNeVision provides customers with direct connectivity to Tencent Cloud on MEGA Campus, a highly connected data centre campus with global top ten connectivity, without going through the public internet.  This new availability zone in Hong Kong will enable Tencent Cloud to be closer to its customers in the region in order to reduce access delays to data and applications. 

• Strengthening connection across regions: With 9 out of 11 City Points of Presences (PoPs) of major submarine cables located on SUNeVision MEGA-i, Asia’s number one connectivity hub, this collaboration will further enhance Tencent Cloud’s unparalleled connectivity for cross region data transfer.  With Hong Kong as a springboard to the rest of mainland, customers across different industries, in particular finance, retail, content providers, OTT players and gaming companies, can leverage MEGA-i as the gateway to reach the mainland and Southeast Asia markets such as Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia etc. 

In addition to a massive presence in the mainland and in-depth knowledge of the market, Tencent Cloud also has extensive global footprints operating 67 availability zones spread across 27 regions. Tencent Cloud is an ideal subject matter expert who can help Hong Kong, mainland and overseas businesses to expand globally.

• Leveraging the Weixin’s ability to reach and connect with users: Weixin continues to grow its presence in the mainland, Hong Kong and Asia, including Weixin Pay and WeChat Pay HK, Mini Program, Official Account and more.  As Weixin  plays a key role in achieving digital success, the collaboration will also benefit from Weixin’s ability to reach and connect with users, particularly for finance and retail industries. 

Quotes

Raymond Tong, Chief Executive Officer, SUNeVision:

“We are excited to strategically collaborate with Tencent Cloud to accelerate digitalisation in Asia. This collaboration will enrich our robust cloud ecosystem on MEGA Campus to help customers in China to go global and vice versa, cementing Hong Kong’s leading position as Asia’s connectivity hub. We look forward to providing more unique offerings to joint customers.”

Norman Tam, Vice President of Tencent Cloud International:

“The third availability zone of Tencent Cloud on SUNeVision MEGA Campus will strengthen our cloud infrastructure in the region.  Leveraging the Asia-leading connectivity and world-class facility of SUNeVision, we enjoy a scalable platform and unparalleled connectivity to expand internationally.  Combined with our strong infrastructure in China and worldwide, as well as our comprehensive suite of cloud solutions applicable to different industries, this collaboration will allow us to further empower our customers to enter the China market and expand to the international market strategically.”

About SUNeVision

SUNeVision (SEHK: 1686), the technology arm of Sun Hung Kai Properties (SEHK: 0016), is the largest data centre provider in Hong Kong. We provide industry-leading carrier and cloud-neutral data centre services with global top 10 connectivity. We connect providers of telecommunications, cloud, ISP, CDN, OTT from local, the mainland and global with enterprises of different businesses on our Asia leading data centre ecosystem.

SUNeVision forms MEGA Campus by extending the connectivity edge from highly connected MEGA-i to other high-tier data centres, including MEGA Two and MEGA Plus. Facilities on MEGA Campus are interconnected through high-performance dedicated fibres and more than 14,000 cross-connects. Together with City PoPs of major submarine cables in our facilities, we enable our customers for direct connections to multi-cloud platforms and multi-cloud exchanges with the best connectivity in town. We are committed to supporting Hong Kong as a regional information hub and a strategic gateway to the mainland.

For more information, please visit:

https://www.sunevision.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/sunevision-holdings-ltd.

About Tencent Cloud

Tencent Cloud is Tencent’s cloud services brand, providing industry-leading cloud products and services to organizations and enterprises across the world. Leveraging its robust data center infrastructures around the world, Tencent integrates cloud computing, big data analytics, AI, Internet of Things, security and other advanced technologies with smart enterprise scenarios. At the same time, we provide a holistic smart enterprise solution for sectors including finance, education, healthcare, retail, industry, transport, energy and radio & television.

#SUNeVision #TencentCloud

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 11 August 2021 – The global broker continues interviewing Malaysian stars for its show ‘OctaFX: Honest Stories of Success’. The guests tell personal stories about their lives, careers, and investing experiences.

OctaFX continues interviewing the brightest stars of Malaysia for its new show OctaFX: Honest Stories of Success. Three more guests will share the truth behind their success stories in the first season, which will run until the end of August.

Three episodes are already available on YouTube. Businessman Datuk Aliff Syukri, actor Dato’ Aaron Aziz, and actress Janna Nick told Fizo Omar, the show’s host, about the highlights and setbacks of their journeys to prosperity. They also shed light on their financial strategies and gave advice to those wishing to improve their financial standing.

In their sincere interviews, the stars revealed personal struggles behind their professional achievements.

Serial entrepreneur Datuk Aliff Syukri shared how gratitude and persistence kept him going during the hard times, like when he was financially unstable at a young age and during the COVID-19 pandemic. He advised the viewers to do side jobs or open side businesses to be ready for any situation:

‘The bigger your dreams, the bigger your challenges. The higher your position, the bigger risk you take. So don’t keep thinking just of the beauty of things but be ready for what the real challenges are.’

Actor Dato’ Aaron Aziz emphasised the importance of investing in children’s education and being receptive to their opinions. ‘Do not look down on our youth, give them the opportunity, hear them out, listen to what is being said, and not to who is saying it,’ the actor said. ‘Never forget to invest in your children’s education. This will guarantee your future as parents.’ He mentioned that young people see more opportunities to earn online, including Forex trading and e-commerce, which the actor tried himself at different points of his life.

Actress Janna Nick also found it necessary to diversify her income sources and take up new jobs. She wondered how sustainable acting would be and ventured into singing, TV hosting, and entrepreneurship:

‘That has been my direction for the past ten years. I took anything that came my way. People said: ‘Janna Nick, you act, you sing, you host, you want to do everything, even business.’ What people did not know is I have been saving up money, and I sacrificed my teenage life. From 16 to 26 years, I have been working until I burnout. It got to the point where I felt I was still working even though I was sleeping.’

In the show’s upcoming episodes, the viewers will hear from comedian Harith Iskander, musician Altimet, and fashion entrepreneur Wak Doyok. New episodes go live every Wednesday on OctaFX’s YouTube channel.

Besides enjoying inspirational stories, the show’s viewers can win prizes from OctaFX. They are welcome to watch any episode they are interested in, answer a question from Fizo Omar about their own experience, dreams, or beliefs in the comments, and gain a chance to win a branded T-shirt and 200 USD to invest in trading with the broker.

OctaFX: Honest Stories of Success is available on the company’s official YouTube channel and a dedicated page.

OctaFX is committed to helping its clients reach their financial goals. The company hopes that this show will provide its viewers with relevant financial tips and money management skills.

About OctaFX

OctaFX is a global broker that provides online trading services since 2011. It offers a state-of-the-art trading experience to over 7 million trading accounts globally. OctaFX has won more than 40 awards since its foundation, including the ‘Best ECN Broker 2020’ award from World Finance and more recently the 2021 ‘Best Forex Broker Asia’ award and the 2020 ‘Most Transparent Broker’ award from Global Banking & Finance Review and Forex Awards, respectively. The company is well-known for its social and charity activities.

#OctaFX