Rais, MCMC chief to join PM-telco meet over 700MHz band

Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s meeting with telco chiefs upset over YTL Communications Sdn Bhd allegedly getting the prized 700MHz spectrum will have two more guests — Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim and regulator Tan Sri Khalid Ramli.

The Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), which Khalid chairs, broke its silence by clarifying that YTL Communications only has an individual licence for content applications service provider (CASP) to provide subscription-based Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services using their 2.3GHz WiMax network for five years.
Rais is the Minister for Information, Communications and Culture. YTL Communications executive director Datuk Yeoh Seok Hong told The Malaysian Insider last week it was going to operate the service on the 700MHz band, which Singapore’s The Straits Times newspaper said was causing a furore among local telco chiefs.

“The minister and the MCMC chairman are joining the meeting,” a source told The Malaysian Insider hours before the MCMC statement was issued on 28th Nov.

It is understood that the telco officials attending the meeting have  prepared their arguments on the allocation of the spectrum, and how they should access it, rather than MCMC itself.

Industry observers said MCMC’s denial would mean it was not necessary for the prime minister to meet the telco chiefs over the issue.

“It seems strange for them to meet the PM and object over YTL’s spectrum when MCMC now says it never assigned the spectrum,” an industry source told The Malaysian Insider.

The MCMC in its statement also clarified that it was assessing a detailed business plan by YTL for the “roll-out of digital pay TV and not 4G mobile services as reported”.

“MCMC would like to iterate that no spectrum assignments has been issued to YTL Communications Sdn Bhd in the 700MHz spectrum band for pay TV broadcasting, hence the reports and commentaries on a spectrum issuance are inaccurate,” it said in the statement issued late last night.

The MCMC also said that under Malaysia’s National Spectrum Plan, “700MHz spectrum band is allocated for broadcasting service and not for Long-Term Evolution (LTE) or 4G mobile services as speculated in the various media articles and reports”.

“The ownership of all spectrum bands remains at all times with the Government of Malaysia,” it said.

Yeoh had said that YTL Communications, which launched its YES 4G WiMax service last week, had applied for the 700MHz spectrum from the MCMC for its pay-television service together with US-based Sezmi Corporation.

“We got the spectrum because we want to introduce it quicker than the MCMC plan for full digitalisation of the television service by December 2015.

“But they can always move us from that spectrum later once there is full digitalisation, which will free up 300MHz between the 400MHz and 700MHz spectrum,” Yeoh had added.

The MCMC statement contradicts Yeoh ’s version of the spectrum they will use for their hybrid television service.

He had said the spectrum given to the firm will enable it to offer more channels and compete with Astro, which offers 119 channels including high-definition television. Astro began its service in 1996 with a 17-year exclusive licence.

(reedited to current time)

To support several studios and control rooms within the multi-level facility, RTM has purchased 24 Grass Valley LDK 8000 Elite multi-format HD cameras, five Kayak™ HD production switchers (four 3 M/E models and one 3.5 M/E model), and four Concerto™ Series 64×64 routers to distribute all types of audio and video signals throughout the facility.

so.... 2015 digitaled= no more old crt tv????

Any new HD channels to be lauched soon?

4 more year to 2015 but I see nothing to be proud right now in local HD source. I bet they will extended their target to 2020 to fully broadcast in HD

By year 2020, HD will became today SD quality......

Astro still leading for Malaysia market for satellite broadcast

Of course u can ! With postal votes in hand we hv to just dream of changing the present ruling party !

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Added on December 2, 2010, 6:20 am

1Malaysia, 1HD...lets make it better!

RTM = Rancangan Tak Menjadi.............  

Agreed. If they means to full broadcast in HD at 2015 then right now they already have to start something. But I don't see any any news that they will shoot all their crap drama in HD.

Astro insists on arbitration for satellite dish dispute
December 02, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 — A unit of media giant Astro has insisted on arbitration for a RM1.34 billion lawsuit over satellite dish technology, prompting the High Court here to postpone its decision on the case proceedings to December 10.

Measat Broadcast Network Systems Sdn Bhd (MBNS), which is licensed by Astro to provide satellite transmission, submitted a bid for a stay of proceedings to settle the case involving the use of its high-definition broadcast receiving equipment.

The court was supposed to decide on whether the case should go through arbitration or normal court proceedings today, as well as consider AV Asia Sdn Bhd’s bid for an injunction to prevent MBNS from using confidential information related to its satellite dishes.

It has also postponed the mention date for the application by Tele System Electronic Sdn Bhd — the second party named in AV Asia’s lawsuit — to strike out the suit.

The defendant today submitted the application to stay on the proceedings while the plaintiff submitted its application to settle the case through a normal court hearing.

Judge Datuk Azahar Mohamed had fixed the mention date for both bids as well as the decision on whether there will be a stay on the proceedings on December 10.

MBNS’s lawyer Nahendran Navaratnam told reporters today that the fact that AV Asia is suing another party does not mean that the agreement made earlier can be voided.

He told the court that an agreement was made between MBNS and AV Asia that if there was any breach of contract, the case will go through arbitration.

However, Nahendran said the agreement drafted between the two parties was "so widely drafted" that it is not specific enough to void in this case just because the plaintiff is suing another party, which was the plaintiff's argument.

The RM1.34 billion lawsuit was filed in September against Ananda Krishnan’s Astro subsidiary for breaching a “non-disclosure agreement” pertaining to the use of rain fade technology in the satellite television operator’s B.yond satellite dish.

The suit was filed by AV Asia against MBNS which enjoys an exclusive licence for satellite transmission.

AV Asia claims in its suit that MBNS had breached a mutual non-disclosure agreement with the private company over its technology to reduce rain fade.

Rain fade refers to the absorption of satellite or radio signals by rain or snow. Astro’s signals are frequently interrupted by rain.

AV Asia’s injunction against MBNS and Tele System Electronic, which was filed on October 27, sought to restrain MBNS from supplying satellite dishes that relied on such confidential information in their manufacture to its customers.

The injunction further asked the court to bar Tele System Electronic from using any confidential information supplied by AV Asia to MBNS under the mutual non-disclosure agreement between the two dated August 1, 2008.

An Astro spokesman had responded to the allegations by saying that the HD service has been available since last December and “the alleged use of confidential information is incorrect and strongly denied”.

In its preceding suit, AV Asia claimed MBNS had divulged confidential information to Tele System Electronic which the latter used to design and test MBNS’s satellite dishes.

The television support equipment provider also said that these dishes were almost identical to its satellite dishes.

AV Asia had said that in May 2008, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had recommended MBNS to conduct studies on the use of satellite dish size and design to reduce rain fade problems.

In June 2008, AV Asia requested a Japanese company, Maspro, to conduct research and development to develop a satellite dish with reduced susceptibility to rain fade for the Malaysian market.

Maspro is involved in the manufacture, sale and construction of television reception equipment, antennas, satellite receivers and communication devices, among others.

AV Asia and MBNS then executed a mutual non-disclosure agreement dated August 1, 2008 related to the exchange of confidential information.

In February last year, MBNS subsequently told AV Asia that it would issue a purchase order to AV Asia upon the latter signing MBNS’s standard vendor contract.

AV Asia claimed that in May 2009, MBNS instead invited bidders to submit tenders to supply satellite dishes to it that were similar to the one in the non-disclosure agreement.

It further claimed that MBNS disclosed certain confidential information to bidders in its second tender exercise in July last year.

According to AV Asia, MBNS’s customers did not have to install a new satellite dish to receive HD transmission, and that this information was withheld by MBNS from its customers.

Instead, it claimed that the Astro B.yond HD product required consumers to install both a new decoder and satellite dish to receive HD programmes, at an added premium of RM20 monthly.

AV Asia is seeking damages for loss of profit as a result of being unable to commercialise its satellite dish amounting to RM1.34 billion and damages for research and development costs totalling RM4.4 million.

If av Wins if astro wins

Could be a HD premium, lets see ! I guess There could be two sports pack in the near future. On the other hand MIOTV has launched an ultimate pack of 60 superb  channels plus sports at S$50 which is just RM100+ but sad to see ours  exceeds RM100 !

Give us more free HD channel please !  But no more Sports HD channel.

which HD channels need to improve? they look pretty good on my display

Please pillar-box, not stretched......

if you watch 4:3 on pillarbox everyday, you'll get used to it

Berita yang baru kami terima mengatakan bahawa mulai Januari 2011, Astro melalui rangkaian Mustika bakal bersiaran dalam format HD sepenuhnya. Mustika yang mempunyai 3 saluran filem dan drama iaitu Citra, Warna dan B4U itu bakal menayangkan karya-karya terbaik yang hanya dalam format HD sepenuhnya. Para penerbit filem dan drama yang tidak menggunakan format HD semasa penggambaran tidak layak untuk menayangkan produk mereka di saluran HD tersebut. ASTRO CITRA HD, WARNA HD, dan B4U HD itu akan mulai beroperasi pada awal tahun depan mengikut kesesuaian siaran dan pengumuman kelak. Pelanggan Astro yang hanya melanggan pakej BEYOND HD sahaja akan menerima tiga saluran tersebut dalam format HD sepenuhnya. Pihak ASTRO kini merangka strategi untuk menjadikan ASTRO sepenuhnya beroperasi dalam format HD. Nantikan info terkini secara ekslusif di sini ya..

p/s: Nantikan trailer ... dalam botol dalam format HD di saluran tersebut..

Now I know why they have about 4 test channels that shows "Konsert Akademi Fantasia"....