The project, which also provides for e-government applications, would give broadband access at minimal monthly fees for businesses.
Under the first phase, the state's 92 primary and secondary schools would be equipped with this service within six months.
Project consultant Ezzauddin Hussein Jamaluddin said once the infrastructure was laid out, all school-going students in Perlis would enjoy free broadband access. Perlis has 48,000 students in schools and institutions of higher learning.
VDSL TT Frontiers Sdn Bhd will provide the service for schools.
Ezzauddin said the broadband speed is between 10 and 50 Mbps (megabytes per second), which is similar to the international standard.
"Companies which take up the broadband services would be charged about RM30 a month, which is half the rate for similar services elsewhere.
"This would attract industries from other states to set up base in Perlis, which is already known to have a low cost of living."
Ezzauddin said Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Md Isa Sabu wanted to transform Perlis from a conventional agriculture-based economy to a modern agriculture state with a knowledge-based economy.
The project's developers are working on e-government applications such as an agriculture portal, state information portal, Supply Chain Management LogisticHub, data centre, real estate hub and electronic payment services.
Ezzauddin said the project would be completed by 2013. Nineteen Malaysian companies and a Singaporean technical consultant firm are involved in the project.
---
Autor(en)/Author(s): Ahmad Fairuz Othman
Quelle/Source: New Straits Times, 16.04.2008
