MALACCA: In line with the country’s vision to make high-speed broadband more available to the masses, Malacca has deployed the latest fibre optic cable-laying system for future development projects here.

Called Air Blown Fiber Solution, the fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) project is the first of its kind in South-East Asia.

It was employed in a pilot project at the Taman Tasik Utama housing estate in MITC, Ayer Keroh.

Better method: Raja Azman (third from left) showing the fibre optic cable-laying system to Mohd Ali (second from left) in Malacca recently.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the system developed in South Korea was brought in through a joint venture between Melaka ICT Holdings Sdn Bhd and TT Ehsan Sdn Bhd with its South Korean partner K-NET Co Ltd.

“We hope to adopt the fibre optic system for future projects at Bandar Hijau in Hang Tuah Jaya, Bandar Baru Bestari in Jasin and for tourist-related projects in Kelebang,” he told reporters after launching a FTTH demonstration and seminar at Media House in MITC here.

Besides marketing the system to local telecommunication industry players and developers, he said the joint venture would see Malacca as a training centre for the system.

“At present, FTTH is used in the United States, Europe and South Korea and the only training centre is based in Italy.”

The move was in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s recent call for greater efforts in developing the nation’s broadband infrastructure and achieving a household broadband penetration rate of 50% and mobile phone coverage of 97% nationwide, he added.

Meanwhile, TT Ehsan managing director Raja Azman Shah Raja Ahmad said that RM680,000 was invested under the pilot project here to lay 4km of fibre optic cables in Taman Tasik Utama.

“It is faster and cheaper in comparison to the current method of laying cables by hand and saves 60% of overall operation costs,” he said.

A two-man team could lay 1km of cables in under 30 minutes in the FTTH system whereas the manual cable-laying system required a four-man team working for eight hours, he said.

He said the company intended to market the system to Telekom Malaysia, major telco companies and housing developers.